World Cup organizers in Seattle on Wednesday said their Pride events would go ahead as planned outside a June match in the city between Egypt and Iran despite objections from sports officials in the two countries where homosexuality is criminalized.
The World Cup committee in Seattle said it would use what it has named the "Pride Match" on June 26 to showcase the city's annual June Pride Weekend and similar celebrations across Washington state in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
The organizing group stressed that it only worked on events outside the 72,000-seat Seattle Stadium where Egypt and Iran are scheduled to play.
"SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament," Hana Tadesse, vice president of communications for the committee, said in a statement. "We don't control what happens on the pitch or in the stadium; that's FIFA's domain."
Iran, Egypt issue complaints over Pride-themed celebrations
The complaints by the football associations of Iran and Egypt highlight tensions between World Cup rules promoting anti-discrimination, inclusivity and neutrality on political and social matters, and the tournament's aim to respect the cultures of host countries.
Egypt’s Football Association on Tuesday said it had sent a letter to FIFA urging world football's governing body to prevent any LGBTQ+ Pride-related activities during the national team’s Seattle game, arguing the activities would clash with the cultural and religious values of the two nations playing.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, told local news agency ISNA it filed an objection to the "Pride Match" with FIFA, calling it an "irrational move that supports a certain group."
The fixture was designated a "Pride Match" by the local World Cup organizing committee, which is not affiliated with FIFA, long before the teams were drawn to play one another. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.
"With hundreds of thousands of visitors and billions of viewers worldwide, this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington," the Seattle World Cup organizing committee said on its website.
World Cup to kick off during Pride Month across the United States
June is Pride Month across the United States, where events celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and activism and commemorate a gay bar where resistance to a June 28, 1969 police raid sparked a civil rights movement.
In Egypt, Amnesty International has noted authorities harass and prosecute individuals for their sexual orientation. Under Iranian law, according to Human Rights Watch, same-sex relations can be punished by flogging and, for men, death.
Controversy over the Pride Match echoes the dispute over "OneLove" armbands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for players wearing the armbands to protest Qatar's laws against same-sex relationships, prompting captains from seven European teams not to use them.