During Monday’s World Cup match, between Uruguay and Portugal a pitch invader with a rainbow flag ran up to the pitch.
The protester was wearing an orange Superman T-shirt that featured the words “save Ukraine”, and “respect Iranian woman.”
He was followed by security officers and taken away through a tunnel. His rainbow flag fell to ground.
The referee then picked up the flag, leaving it on the sidelines. After that, a worker came and collected the flag.
It was unclear whether he was held by police, or was subject to any changes following his exit from the Lusail Stadion during the second-half of the match.
Bruno Fernandes, Portugal’s midfielder, claimed that he was too focused on the game to notice what the protester was trying to do. He thought he might want to take a photograph with Cristiano Rondo.
Fernandes, speaking through a translator, said: “To be completely honest I didn’t really understand what the message was trying to convey.
“But, we’ve already spoken of that many times… We respect all rights, but those are political matters where we unfortunately don’t really have much power and where we can’t really change anything.”
Fernandes, who was against the World Cup’s start, said that soccer should be available to everyone. He also expressed concern about the death of workers in Qatar who were building stadiums.
The first World Cup to take place in the Middle East was held in Qatar. It was a time when Qatar’s laws regarding homosexuality and treatment of LGBTQ persons were being scrutinized.
Seven European teams were defeated in the fight for multi-coloured armbands called “One Love” during World Cup matches.
Fans were also prohibited from bringing items in rainbow colours into the stadiums. This was a symbol for LGBTQ rights.
Qatari officials said that all visitors were welcome, regardless of their sexual orientation, but they should respect Qatar’s culture.