'They took me..': Rainbow-coloured items face pushback at Qatar 2022 despite FIFA promises

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar has turned out to be a lot more than just a football tournament. In recent days, it has become the center stage of multiple acts of solidarity and social issues. On Saturday, restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community came to the fore after two German fans revealed that they were told to remove the rainbow-coloured items they had worn.

According to CNN, the incident occurred when the duo was heading to watch the match between Denmark and France. The outlet identified one of the Germans as Bengt Kunkel, who had a rainbow-coloured sweatband on his wrist. Kunkel, along with his friend who was also sporting a similar item, was confronted by a group of security officials who asked them to remove the items and put them inside their pockets.

“Out of nowhere. They took my friend quite aggressively on the arm and pushed him away from the crowd and told him to take it [the armband] off,” Kunkel told CNN, adding that “they took me with him. They said: "You’re going to take it off and throw it in the bin or we’ll call the police."

What is the 'One Love' armband controversy?

“We had a little discussion, we were being respectful and said: ‘We’re not going to throw it away but we’re going to put it in our pockets,” Kunkel said while sharing his ordeal. “It’s quite a statement to throw a rainbow flag in the garbage,” he added, referencing the rainbow being symbolic of the LGBTQ community.

“I’m not part of the LGBTQ community myself, but I can understand those who don’t want to come here [Qatar] because people of the community are being oppressed,” he went on to say.

The incident comes despite FIFA’s tournament handbook mentioning that visitors are “free to wear the clothing of their choice, as long as it is modest and respectful to the culture.” FIFA, which has banned armbands of “OneLove”, has garnered massive criticism for the move. However, Germany’s team has openly opposed it, with players placing their hands over their mouths as a silent protest earlier this week in the match against Japan.