The UK’s first openly gay sports minister has promised to wear the OneLove armband to the World Cup

Sports minister Stuart Andrew said he was in a “unique position” to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ football fans who did not feel comfortable travelling to Qatar for the World Cup tournament.

The UK’s first openly gay sports minister has vowed to wear the OneLove rainbow armband to the England v Wales World Cup match in Qatar this evening.

Stuart Andrew, who is also an equalities minister, said that he would “absolutely” be wearing the band as he is “not going to shy away from who I am”.

Last week, Fifa warned players that they could receive sanctions, potentially including yellow cards, for donning the OneLove band, which is part of a campaign “to promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination of any kind” on the pitch.

Players, including England captain Harry Kane and Wales captain Gareth Bale, had previously planned to wear the armband during matches in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, but the threat prompted football bodies, including the FA, to backtrack on the decision.

“Our message very much is that no one should have to shy away from who they are,” Andrew told the Evening Standard yesterday. 

He said that as a gay man, he is in a “unique position” to be able to send a message of solidarity to the LGBTQ+ football fans who did not feel safe travelling to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, for the tournament.

“It means a lot to me personally, means a lot to me as a minister and more broadly, means a lot to fans out there,” he said. “It is pretty appalling that at the eleventh hour [footballers] were put in a position where they were told there would be sanctions against them. That’s put them in an impossible position.”

Andrew said that he had thought “long and hard” about whether to attend the World Cup “because it is a very deeply personal decision”.

“I have done a lot of work before this tournament started,” he explained. “I met with the Qatari ambassador and had a very frank conversation about what does ‘everyone is welcome’ actually mean.

“I have a responsibility to go there and see for myself that is actually what has been delivered on the ground. And if it isn’t in any way then to challenge that.” 

Political figures including German interior minister Nancy Faeser and former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt have already worn the armband to their countries’ matches, while BBC sports presenter and former England player Alex Scott was praised for her decision to wear it while reporting pitchside from the England v Iran match last week.

Last week, Welsh football fans, including former Wales captain Laura McAllister, said that their rainbow hats were “confiscated” when they arrived at the stadium ahead of their country’s fixture against the USA.

However, the Football Association of Wales has since confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Fifa, allowing their fans to be able to wear rainbow-coloured clothing and carry flags.

“The FAW urges Fifa to adhere to their message that everybody will be welcome in Qatar during the World Cup and continue to highlight any further human rights issues,” the FAW said in a statement. “We remain with the belief that football is for everyone.”

Images: Getty; BBC iPlayer

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