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A leading international gay rights group demanded an official apology Tuesday from FIFA following Sepp Blatter's comment about homosexual fans traveling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
The president of the world soccer governing body said Monday that gay fans "should refrain from any sexual activities" during the World Cup in Qatar, where homosexual behavior is illegal.
Juris Lavrikovs, communications director for the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, said the comments were "very unfortunate and have left people deeply offended."
"I think they should come out with a strong statement and not just wash it away," Lavrikovs told The Associated Press. "We are talking about a very basic human right that is being violated."
Blatter spoke Monday in South Africa at the launch of a post-2010 World Cup legacy project. He was asked if he could foresee any cultural problems with the tournament being held in Qatar.
"I'd say they [gay fans] should refrain from any sexual activities," he said, smiling.
"This is not a joke, this is a matter of life and death to people," Lavrikovs said. "Qatar and more than 70 other countries in the world still criminalize individuals for homosexual relationships, and some countries even punish them by death sentence.
So, basically what Blatter said was relevant to Qatar's laws. I think he should be off of the hook since he was just being honest.
On the other hand... why have such a backwards country host the World Cup? I know Qatar is advanced by Middle Eastern standards, but that's not saying much. It was bad enough that they held the last cup in a country where the AIDS rate is absurd, but in the somewhat near future, they've agreed to let Qatar host.
Nevermind the fact that their summer temperatures are some of the hottest on the planet, Qatar (like too much of the Islamic World) is still stuck on persecuting gay people. I guess they're not as bad as Iran about it, but seriously... is this really the sort of place that should be a host country?
A leading international gay rights group demanded an official apology Tuesday from FIFA following Sepp Blatter's comment about homosexual fans traveling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
The president of the world soccer governing body said Monday that gay fans "should refrain from any sexual activities" during the World Cup in Qatar, where homosexual behavior is illegal.
Juris Lavrikovs, communications director for the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, said the comments were "very unfortunate and have left people deeply offended."
"I think they should come out with a strong statement and not just wash it away," Lavrikovs told The Associated Press. "We are talking about a very basic human right that is being violated."
Blatter spoke Monday in South Africa at the launch of a post-2010 World Cup legacy project. He was asked if he could foresee any cultural problems with the tournament being held in Qatar.
"I'd say they [gay fans] should refrain from any sexual activities," he said, smiling.
"This is not a joke, this is a matter of life and death to people," Lavrikovs said. "Qatar and more than 70 other countries in the world still criminalize individuals for homosexual relationships, and some countries even punish them by death sentence.
So, basically what Blatter said was relevant to Qatar's laws. I think he should be off of the hook since he was just being honest.
On the other hand... why have such a backwards country host the World Cup? I know Qatar is advanced by Middle Eastern standards, but that's not saying much. It was bad enough that they held the last cup in a country where the AIDS rate is absurd, but in the somewhat near future, they've agreed to let Qatar host.
Nevermind the fact that their summer temperatures are some of the hottest on the planet, Qatar (like too much of the Islamic World) is still stuck on persecuting gay people. I guess they're not as bad as Iran about it, but seriously... is this really the sort of place that should be a host country?