FIFA boss Sepp Blatter sparks Qatar gay controversy

GLaDOS

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9284186.stm

Fifa president Sepp Blatter says gay fans going to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, should "refrain from sexual activity".
When asked if he foresaw any cultural problems, Blatter, apparently joking, said: "I'd say they [gay fans] should refrain from any sexual activities."
Then, speaking seriously, he said he was sure there would be no problems.
Gay rights groups, already unhappy at the choice of tournament venue, say he should apologise or resign.
Former basketball star John Amaechi is one of the world's most high-profile gay athletes, having come out in 2007.
He was highly critical of Blatter's comments, telling BBC Radio 5 live: "It's absurd.
"It's not about people having sex in public and being sanctioned for it, it's the fact that Qatar was one of 79 countries to sanction executing gays at the United Nations [where a vote in November removed sexual orientation from a UN resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions].
"One of the first things you notice is that it would actually be an insult to year seven students to say that their reactions, the giggling of grown men, sports reporters and members of Fifa, on this issue, when asked a perfectly simple and reasonable question given the worries about Qatar, that the whole room burst into laughter.
"It is the most childish response I could imagine.
"This does make it harder for footballers that are gay but let's not limit this.

"You have to understand that this story is big enough, his influence is big enough, to impact young people in school, people in workplaces, anybody who is perceived to be gay or is gay, hears these comments and once again realises that the seat of power, straight white men normally, are very, very clearly uncomfortable with this issue and certainly not interested in taking it seriously."
BBC sports news correspondent James Pearce says Fifa will make no further comment following Blatter's remarks on attitudes to homosexuality in Qatar.
"Fifa says Blatter gave all the clarification required in his press conference," said Pearce.
Qatar was the surprise winner of the race to host the 2022 World Cup, beating Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States when the 22-man Fifa executive committee voted in their favour in Zurich on 2 December.
Fifa has since come in for criticism after the decision to take the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time.
Concerns were raised about hosting the tournament during the summer months in a country where temperatures can reach 40C to 50C while current laws mean drinking alcohol in public is forbidden.
Gay groups are also worried about the acceptance of homosexual fans, and the Gay Football Supporters' Network (GFSN) say Blatter's comments show naivety about anti-gay discrimination and he should either apologise or resign from his post.
"Many LGBT [lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-gender] people live in countries where they would face execution or imprisonment if discovered, these people deserve our help, our respect and our support," said GFSN chair Chris Basiurski.
"They, like the rest of us, do not deserve to be laughed at. Mr Blatter should retract his remarks and apologise immediately. Otherwise, he should reconsider his position and resign.
"Mr Blatter is naive to think that by taking the beautiful game to Qatar, it will bring an end to discrimination in the Middle East.
"He says that football is 'everything for everyone' but he has not yet explained just how Fifa is going to ensure that LGBT football players and supporters will be welcome in Qatar."
But Blatter does not foresee any difficulties, saying: "You see in the Middle East the opening of this culture, it's another culture because it's another religion, but in football we have no boundaries.
"We open everything to everybody and I think there shall not be any discrimination against any human beings be it on this side or that side, be it left, right or whatever.
"If they want to watch a match somewhere in Qatar 2022, I'm sure they will be admitted to such matches."
Blatter says even if there are problems, there is still plenty of time to sort out any issues.
"I think there is too much concern for a competition that will be done only in 12 years," he added.
"But this gives me the opportunity to say that in Fifa, and this is in the statutes of Fifa, whether it is in politics, whether it is in religion, we don't want racism, and we know what this means, and neither do we want discrimination.
"What we want is just to open this game to everybody and open it to all cultures and this is what we are doing in 2022."

But Amaechi did not see the funny side of Blatter's "refrain from any sexual activities" comments, telling his official website: "The statements and the position adopted by Sepp Blatter and Fifa regarding LGBT fans who would pay the enormous ticket and travel prices to attend the World Cup in 2022 should have been wholly unacceptable a decade ago.
"Instead, with little more than an afterthought Fifa has endorsed the marginalisation of LGBT people around the world.
"Anything less than a full reversal of his position is unacceptable and if the FA and football and sporting associations around the world fail to acknowledge this insult, they too will be complicit.
"If sport cannot serve to change society, even temporarily during the duration of an event like the World Cup that invites the world to participate, then it is little more than grown men chasing a ball and we should treat it as such."
Blatter, who was visiting South Africa - the hosts of the 2010 tournament, insisted money had no part in taking the competition to new parts of the world.
Russia won the right to host the 2018 competition.
"This is development of football and don't speak about money," said Blatter.
"This has nothing to do with money as it had nothing to [do with it] with Africa.
"It is the development of the game. We have to take to places where it can improve and have a social and cultural impact. And it's what we did here in Africa."

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Blatter seemingly putting his foot in it again. Is he right though, do LGBTs have nothing to fear and should just stay under the radar? Personally I think it's ridiculous that that's his solution. I suspect he imagines bringing the World Cup will end all discrimination.

flahavaj

Its not as if their gonna be riding each other in the street.:pac:

StupidLikeAFox

At the risk of looking like a bigot and perhaps being flamed, i really think this is a storm in a teacup. The WC is being held in Qatar, like it or not, and to be honest its pretty good advice to stay under the radar.

At worst, this was a little throwaway comment, notice right after he says it, he mentions that there is shouldnt be a problem at the WC. I would imagine FIFA would have been clear to Qatar that it doesnt want any trouble and I would imagine Qatar will be a lot more liberal than the normally, especially to the incoming tourists.

As it is, even married couples arent allowed hold hands in the place. I think that what Sepp was prob trying to say was "Keep a low profile and everything will run smoothly". However, this being Sepp Blatter he did it with all the subtlety of an elephant farting in a biscuit tin

Nozebleed

is it not a case of the reporter sparks a contoversy over gay football fans. she was the one who brought it up as though there was an issue with gay people and fifa..when there isn't. in fairness blatter's reply was in no way derogatory..just honest.

newballsplease

an elephant farting in a biscuit tin!! lol

tommyhaas

I dont really see the problem here. Its their country, so its their rules. I'd imagine they'l overlook alot during the world cup, in terms of behaviour that would be considered normal in Western society, but illegal over there, such as women covering up etc.

How eles could Blatter have answered it? Should he have warned gay people to stay away from the WC? Obviously he wouldnt say that

Mr.Nice Guy

When reading the article I didn't quite know whether to give him the benefit of the doubt but actually when you watch the footage and see his silly, childish sniggering over a serious issue, you really get a glimpse at what a buffoon the man is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pkXb6eBnZE

An absolute embarrassment to the sport.

Savman

Let's hope the Greeks don't qualify.

Pro. F

Typically idiotic response from him.

The message is clear: football is for everybody, except gay people.

I'm so pissed off that this man is in charge of my sport. He acts like an immature idiot and already we have people on this thread following suit. What if the tournament was being held in a country where black people, Jews, Arabs, Women or whatever were officially under threat of deportation? I'm sure people would be kicking up a fuss then. But nah, sure it's just gays, giggle, snigger, joke, joke, joke. :mad:

Agh, I hate FIFA!

Peyton Manning

Savman wrote: »

Let's hope the Greeks don't qualify.

Oh Jesus, I lolled so much at that

spockety

:eek: at some of the comments here, just :eek:

The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar is shocking for a whole host of reasons, this just being one of them, and FIFA's attitude is utterly stinking.

Nalz

What an absolute stupid thing to say yet again, is this guy untouchable? Makes a mockery of the sport

ilovelamp2000

flahavaj wrote: »

Its not as if their gonna be riding each other in the street.:pac:

Everyone knows they don't watch football anyway.:D

newballsplease

Sepp Blater...sure this isnt a shock... hes allways come over a little queer.

ilovelamp2000

newballsplease wrote: »

Sepp Blater...sure this isnt a shock... hes allways come over a little queer.

Back in the 1970s, Sepp Blatter was elected president of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders, an organisation formed to protest at "women replacing suspender belts with pantyhose"

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/worldcup06/2006/06/29/wrong_again.html


What a man.

Pro. F

spockety wrote: »

:eek: at some of the comments here, just :eek:

True. A lot of posters on here should be ashamed of themselves.

SarahBM

I think what made Blatter's horribly inappropriate answer to the question even worse is not only that he laughed but so did half the journalists in the room. the reporter asking the question was clearly horrified but Blatter's answer.
he is a sexist, arrogant yoke and I think he is dragging FIFA into the gutter! the message he sends out is that women shouldn't play soccer unless they are scantily clad and gay people should keep to themselves. FFS how backwards can you get!

Blatter is ruining football and he is using FIFA to do it, but the fact that he gets away with making these ridiculous statements is just mad! :mad:

sorry. rant over.

CorkMan

What about the alcohol factor? Alcohol is illegal in Qatar, it would be a big thing for them to even set up temporary stands for people to drink alcohol.

Yakult

My opinion of that man just keep getting lower and lower I ever see him.

What a man.

tommyhaas

CorkMan wrote: »

What about the alcohol factor? Alcohol is illegal in Qatar, it would be a big thing for them to even set up temporary stands for people to drink alcohol.

Its legal in certain clubs and hotels in Qatar, Im sure this will be extended for the WC

Namlub

Nozebleed wrote: »

is it not a case of the reporter sparks a contoversy over gay football fans. she was the one who brought it up as though there was an issue with gay people and fifa...When there isn't. in fairness blatter's reply was in no way derogatory..just honest.

There's an issue with gay people and Qatar, who FIFA chose to host it; it's a perfectly valid question. To be fair to Qatar, there is a lot of misinformation going around and they probably will be pretty lax with tourists at the time, but as far as 'respecting their culture' goes, I don't see how that extends to turning a blind eye to the bigotry that exists there now towards gay people. Apparently fifa's big campaign against homophobia is just a temporary thing. And Sepp's a clown obviously, the fact that was a joke just highlights that...

IvySlayer

Disgusting comments from Sepp tbh. I don't like the idea of gay people having to 'hide' their love.

If 2 men and 2 women want to kiss each other in the street, they should be able to do so without any fear whatsoever. Just shows how stupid FIFA are to choose Qatar. Qatar should've been disqualified straight away for thier stupid laws.

dizzywizlw

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't FIFA apolitical at least in it's stated approach.

I'm only anecdotally stating this, but the USSR/RSFSR was in FIFA at the time of the purges etc., fairly certain a Yugoslav (Serbs and Montenegrans?) team was allowed to play also during the dissolution conflict.

I'm all for the imposition of liberal democratic values of other countries ;)but if FIFA itself can't distinguish why should we expect them to?

If we're going to go down this route we may as well only host the World Cup in Scandinavia and Canada because everyone will find something serious wrong with everywhere else. Blatter may be a big moron but I'm gladly the Arab world gets to have a World Cup, and Russia too primarily because of the power that the beautiful game, not to mention international scrutiny can have.

Fr Tod Umptious

dizzywizlw wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't FIFA apolitical at least in it's stated approach.

I'm only anecdotally stating this, but the USSR/RSFSR was in FIFA at the time of the purges etc., fairly certain a Yugoslav (Serbs and Montenegrans?) team was allowed to play also during the dissolution conflict.

I'm all for the imposition of liberal democratic values of other countries ;)but if FIFA itself can't distinguish why should we expect them to?

If we're going to go down this route we may as well only host the World Cup in Scandinavia and Canada because everyone will find something serious wrong with everywhere else. Blatter may be a big moron but I'm gladly the Arab world gets to have a World Cup, and Russia too primarily because of the power that the beautiful game, not to mention international scrutiny can have.

You're correct.

Fifa have previously held world cups in countries that had less that stellar human rights records and questionable administrations, Argentina in 78 being a example, so I am not sure why people are surprised when it comes to Qatar.

However I think the main problem is the way he answered the question, he sould have utter some cliché ridden drivel like 'The global football family welcomes all people, regardless of orientation and I am sure we can address any problem that may arise in Qatar', rather than what he actually said.

Then then again his is a pompous buffoon

bonerm

Ashley Cole will have no problems in this regard because he's 100% not gay.

A Primal Nut

Its not just Homosexuals who are affected though - any unmarried couple will feel uncomfortable travelling there and would be advised not to have sex there. No country which is so intolerant should be rewarded with a World Cup.

ArmaniJeanss

A Primal Nut wrote: »

No country which is so intolerant should be rewarded with a World Cup.

Should England have been ruled out because of its gun laws then, they bizarrely don't allow members of the public the freedom to bear arms unlike other tolerant countries like the USA?
Or should we maybe accept that one persons 'tolerant' is another persons 'dangerously over-liberal'.
Or should we just host every World Cup in Holland (actually I rather like that idea).

Qatar seems to turn a blind eye to the Homosexuality laws - they are on the statute book (most countries inc Ireland have antiquated laws that aren't enforced) but haven't been used this century afaik. So long as people (heterosexual or homosexual) aren't in your face about it and think they can go shagging down a laneway then there will be no problem.

This is not some despotic authoritarian society, its less liberal than us but more liberal than others. Google Image 'Doha Beach' if you are worried that your womenfolk are going to have to be burka-ed up whilst in Qatar.

blackbelt

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Should England have been ruled out because of its gun laws then, they bizarrely don't allow members of the public the freedom to bear arms unlike other tolerant countries like the USA?
Or should we maybe accept that one persons 'tolerant' is another persons 'dangerously over-liberal'.
Or should we just host every World Cup in Holland (actually I rather like that idea).

Qatar seems to turn a blind eye to the Homosexuality laws - they are on the statute book (most countries inc Ireland have antiquated laws that aren't enforced) but haven't been used this century afaik. So long as people (heterosexual or homosexual) aren't in your face about it and think they can go shagging down a laneway then there will be no problem.

This is not some despotic authoritarian society, its less liberal than us but more liberal than others. Google Image 'Doha Beach' if you are worried that your womenfolk are going to have to be burka-ed up whilst in Qatar.

Ireland until 1992 had some laws prohibiting homosexual behaviour,however not enforced,it was seen as an offense against the state.

Blatter is a joke of a man and a joke of a human being.He lacks PR skills and is in way over his head with regard to the position he finds himself in.This is where the problem with soccer arises,at association level.Meanwhile the GAA are sometimes accused of bigotry through its closer association with the church.For me,the FIFA World Cup is a bigger issue as it is being held in a country where the punishment for drinking alcohol or being a homosexual man or women is serious.

FIFA may say it is apolitical but they have made a decision that has affected the rights of fans who choose to travel to this World Cup.

ArmaniJeanss

blackbelt wrote: »

For me,the FIFA World Cup is a bigger issue as it is being held in a country where the punishment for drinking alcohol or being a homosexual man or women is serious.

For me the alcohol thing is a red-herring ; you can drink in the hotel bar, your hotel room/private residence or in the designated fan zones.

So as a country they have a series of licensed areas in which you can drink alcohol, and drinking outside those areas is an offence.

Sounds familiar? - Its a variant on the same laws that apply in Ireland, England or the USA.

OhNoYouDidn't

FIFA, like it or not, are an apolitical organisation and only take action against a country when UN sanctions are enforced.

Like it or not, the international community do not treat Quatar as a pariah for banning homosexuality, so I'm not quite sure what 'stand' FIFA can take.

You can find something about any country that is objectionable.

That said, the organisation does have a stated policy of tolerance and integration, so perhaps it should have been a factor in the selection process, but it wasn't.

On the face of it, the answer itself is not actually that offensive. Its simple advice for people to remain within the law of the land. The delivery seemed a bit bizarre though.

Ebbs

Excuse my ignorance but I was under the assumption that any sort of "sexual" activity was highly frowned upon with Qatar. I didnt think public affection was used at all in strict muslim countries. So perhaps it could be judged as more point that its not really acceptable anyway. Of course he handled it terrible, hes a joke of a representative for arguably the biggest sport in the world.

People are worried about gays...but I im dying to see how women are treated over there, let alone israelis etc. Blatter doesnt care he gets a big fat oil company endorsed pay check at the end of the day.

blackbelt

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

For me the alcohol thing is a red-herring ; you can drink in the hotel bar, your hotel room/private residence or in the designated fan zones.

So as a country they have a series of licensed areas in which you can drink alcohol, and drinking outside those areas is an offence.

Sounds familiar? - Its a variant on the same laws that apply in Ireland, England or the USA.

Yes but also the same may be more applicable in Qatar.In Ireland,it is actually an offense to be drunk in public outside of the premises in which the alcohol was consumed whether that be your residence or a bar/hotel/nightclub.

I would think the Qatar police would take a stricter approach on this aspect of the law whether alcohol was consumed in designated areas or not.

ArmaniJeanss

blackbelt wrote: »

Yes but also the same may be more applicable in Qatar.In Ireland,it is actually an offense to be drunk in public outside of the premises in which the alcohol was consumed whether that be your residence or a bar/hotel/nightclub.

I would think the Qatar police would take a stricter approach on this aspect of the law whether alcohol was consumed in designated areas or not.

I agree it comes down to how harshly the offence is treated.
Like a few months ago the English police took alcohol from me when I was drinking it on the way to the ground - they were within their rights to do so as it was an alcohol-free residential area (on the way to Craven cottage) - they would probably have been equally within their rights to arrest me and force me to appear in front of a magistrates charged with the offence. But they were sensible about it.

My optimistic expectation would be that with the eyes of the world watching them (not to mention a big alcohol compnay as a main sponsor) that the Qatari police will be equally as sensible as the English police in this sort of situation. Take the drink from you if you are in the wrong area, if you are drunk but have your mates with you and aren't causing any trouble then let them bring you home, if you are causing a disturbance or if you are blind drunk on your own and completely lost then arrest you and fcuk you into a cell for the night. Standard policing really.

noodler

I don't want to breach the charter and call him corrupt but many of his actions fly in the face of fair play which is my main problem with him.

The fact he should voice any opinion on such matters as sexuality (even as tenuous as they were) is a problem in itself.

SarahBM

Even though I do have an issue with the WC being held in Qatar, the attitude towards women and homosexual people, alcohol, heat etc. , I think I was more offended by the manner in which Blatter answered the question, with a snigger and a laugh. Blatter's whole attitude and demeanor is just ridiculous, for a game he claims to represent, he shows massive disrespect for its fans and supporters by the way he behaves and speaks.

Just my opinion.

OhNoYouDidn't

noodler wrote: »

The fact he should voice any opinion on such matters as sexuality (even as tenuous as they were) is a problem in itself.

To be fair, it was a response to a direct question.

noodler

OhNoYouDidn't wrote: »

To be fair, it was a response to a direct question.

I did say tenuous..in fairness.

He voided his right to say no comment and said something silly - it isn't really an excuse that he said something stupid because he was asked about. Perhaps I'll entrap him with a slavery question one day.

secman

Fair play to Sepp, he constantly reminds us , just in case we forget, that he is a complete and utter moron, a bufoon.

SAP BLATTER is my name. a blattering sap is my game................


Secman