Is football 'one of the last bastions of prejudice against gays'?
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Tuesday, 12 Dec. 2010
|17:29 - 19:00 GMT
Prominent sports journalist Richard Williams thinks so, calling homophobia in football 'the ugly prejudice that casts a shadow over the beautiful game'.
Williams sees football as 'out of step with the real world' when it comes to homosexuality and he thinks it matters because 'the special prominence of football in global culture gives it an unusual degree of influence' silencing players and allowing institutionalised homophobia to continue.
Now there is another football story in the news today. Thousands of you, all over the globe are tweeting about the comments of Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
Blatter has apparently joked that gay fans travelling to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should "refrain from any sexual activities".
Gay rights groups have criticised the decision to award the tournament to Qatar, a country where homosexuality is illegal. Blatter added: "I'm sure when the World Cup will be in Qatar there will be no problems."
Blatter also said:
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. What we want to do is open this game to all people to all cultures, and this is what we are doing in 2022 You can watch a longer version of Mr. Blatter's remarks here.
Some of you would not connect Blatter's comments to Williams' argument about prejudice against gays in football and consider it simply an off-the-cuff remark or indeed a joke.
Others think the comments are symptomatic of a larger problem within football. One of those people is gay former NBA player John Amaechi
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. Are Blatter's comments acceptable to you?
They are to Thomas, he posted on the Telegraph website:
What Blatter said was perfectly reasonable, indeed common sense. If you visit a country, it's sensible and courteous to obey the local laws. You don't have to visit! Do you agree with Thomas or John Amaechi? Do you think Qatar, as the host of an international event, needs to be more open and tolerant about the sexuality of their visitors?
How do you see Blatter's comments in respect to Richard Williams' article about insitiutionalised homophobia in football?
Your comments
Comment sent via SMS
18:51
115880100
Preventing gay fans into qatar is violation of human right and defeat purpose of fifa to unite peoples through the game of football. Sent by Emil Rogers -missing Fragment-
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:49
113631290
George Mwalandi Mwambogha It seems the gay lobby has a lot of clout to the extent that any mention of their name in negative light results in controversy.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:43
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Kiru in Jamaica
Quit trying to force the West's view down the rest of the World's throats. Respect their culture & laws
Comment sent via SMS
18:41
115879965
20 years ago Homosexuals felt bad when found out. Now its the other way round and homosexuals make ordinary people feel bad because they don’t like gays. FIFA is a world body not a gay one. All gays can go where they like e.g. For FiFA events, but they must obey the laws and cultures of those places nottheir own. If they cannot they should stay home. Okoh in Ghana
Comment sent via SMS
18:31
115879880
FIFA, in choosing the hosts clearly stated that racism wasnt part of the criteria. Why should being gay matter. No one is talking about black players being lynched in Russia. Albert, Uganda
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18:38
113631290
Ellen (North Carolina)
I think all people, gay and straight, should not go to the world cup in a country where homosexuality is illegal. Sports have always been used successfully for such protests. Remember the tennis world cup and apartheid.
Comment sent via SMS
18:35
108599981
Your guest says countries with laws against homosexuality should not be allowed to host the world cup. Where does he get the audacity to lecture us on our beliefs and values? The hypocrisy and eurocentric disdain for anything and anyone that disagrees with its outlook is the same mentality that justifiedcolonialism, slavery and racism against africans.
Lee Tarricone posts on facebook.... I traveled recently to Turkey on vacation with my children. Although Christian, I instructed my daughter to cover her head when appropriate. Rather than do this, should I have left her at home?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:15
113631290
Krista on facebook posts...As much as I am for equality for all of us, I do believe when traveling, it is important to follow the rules and customs of the host country.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:13
113631290
Neesha.....Uhmmm, have you ever been to America? We've got plenty of "last" bastions of prejudice against gays...including our military.
Comment sent via SMS
18:10
114295205
The world cup is a sporting event it is not an international sexual orientation forum, therefore gay fans should keep their sexual orientation at bay. Mustapha Kawoje. Nigeria.
Is football 'one of the last bastions of prejudice against gays'?
| Tuesday, 12 Dec. 2010 | 17:29 - 19:00 GMT
Prominent sports journalist Richard Williams thinks so, calling homophobia in football 'the ugly prejudice that casts a shadow over the beautiful game'.
Williams sees football as 'out of step with the real world' when it comes to homosexuality and he thinks it matters because 'the special prominence of football in global culture gives it an unusual degree of influence' silencing players and allowing institutionalised homophobia to continue.
Now there is another football story in the news today. Thousands of you, all over the globe are tweeting about the comments of Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
Blatter has apparently joked that gay fans travelling to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should "refrain from any sexual activities".
Gay rights groups have criticised the decision to award the tournament to Qatar, a country where homosexuality is illegal. Blatter added: "I'm sure when the World Cup will be in Qatar there will be no problems."
Blatter also said:
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. What we want to do is open this game to all people to all cultures, and this is what we are doing in 2022
You can watch a longer version of Mr. Blatter's remarks here.
Some of you would not connect Blatter's comments to Williams' argument about prejudice against gays in football and consider it simply an off-the-cuff remark or indeed a joke.
Others think the comments are symptomatic of a larger problem within football. One of those people is gay former NBA player John Amaechi
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.
Are Blatter's comments acceptable to you?
They are to Thomas, he posted on the Telegraph website:
What Blatter said was perfectly reasonable, indeed common sense. If you visit a country, it's sensible and courteous to obey the local laws. You don't have to visit!
Do you agree with Thomas or John Amaechi? Do you think Qatar, as the host of an international event, needs to be more open and tolerant about the sexuality of their visitors?
How do you see Blatter's comments in respect to Richard Williams' article about insitiutionalised homophobia in football?
Your comments
Comment sent via SMS
Preventing gay fans into qatar is violation of human right and defeat purpose of fifa to unite peoples through the game of football. Sent by Emil Rogers -missing Fragment-
Comment sent via YOURSAY
George Mwalandi Mwambogha It seems the gay lobby has a lot of clout to the extent that any mention of their name in negative light results in controversy.
Comment sent via Facebook
Kiru in Jamaica Quit trying to force the West's view down the rest of the World's throats. Respect their culture & laws
Comment sent via SMS
20 years ago Homosexuals felt bad when found out. Now its the other way round and homosexuals make ordinary people feel bad because they don’t like gays. FIFA is a world body not a gay one. All gays can go where they like e.g. For FiFA events, but they must obey the laws and cultures of those places nottheir own. If they cannot they should stay home. Okoh in Ghana
Comment sent via SMS
FIFA, in choosing the hosts clearly stated that racism wasnt part of the criteria. Why should being gay matter. No one is talking about black players being lynched in Russia. Albert, Uganda
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Ellen (North Carolina) I think all people, gay and straight, should not go to the world cup in a country where homosexuality is illegal. Sports have always been used successfully for such protests. Remember the tennis world cup and apartheid.
Comment sent via SMS
Your guest says countries with laws against homosexuality should not be allowed to host the world cup. Where does he get the audacity to lecture us on our beliefs and values? The hypocrisy and eurocentric disdain for anything and anyone that disagrees with its outlook is the same mentality that justifiedcolonialism, slavery and racism against africans.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Yani in Ottawa Canada I've lived in the mid-east, specifically Saudi Arabia, where even heterosexual couples kissing in public is an affront to social morés. Everyone wants to shape the world in the image of the West. And we wonder why people abroad hate our meddling so much.
Comment sent via Facebook
Lee Tarricone posts on facebook.... I traveled recently to Turkey on vacation with my children. Although Christian, I instructed my daughter to cover her head when appropriate. Rather than do this, should I have left her at home?
Comment sent via Facebook
Krista on facebook posts...As much as I am for equality for all of us, I do believe when traveling, it is important to follow the rules and customs of the host country.
Comment sent via Facebook
Neesha.....Uhmmm, have you ever been to America? We've got plenty of "last" bastions of prejudice against gays...including our military.
Comment sent via SMS
The world cup is a sporting event it is not an international sexual orientation forum, therefore gay fans should keep their sexual orientation at bay. Mustapha Kawoje. Nigeria.