The man behind the rainbow versions of Wales football fans' famous bucket hats has vowed to make more despite the headwear being confiscated by World Cup officials ahead of the World Cup opener against the United States.
The Rainbow Wall, Wales' official LGBTQ+ supporters' group, issued a statement on the night of the Group B encounter stating that female fans who had worn rainbow bucket hats to the match had been told to remove them. Former Wales international and Wales Online columnist Laura McAllister was among those who had her hat confiscated by staff at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, but later managed to sneak it into the venue.
Following the experiences of many fans, the FAW has confirmed it will collate information and hold talks with FIFA presenting their findings., with the association saying they were "extremely disappointed" by reports of hats being confiscated at the game.
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Ian Davies, owner of RCS Teamwear in Llanelli, had supplied the bucket hats to The Rainbow Wall after the group requested a design for LGBTQ+ fans to wear while cheering on the team. After the events of Monday night in Qatar, he says that demand is high for more of the hats to be produced as fans stand defiant against Qatar's stance.
"We've been producing bucket hats for the best part of the last 12, 18 months for societies, clubs, etc," said Mr Davies. "They've done really well and they seem to be the buzzword at the moment, they’ve taken off not just in Wales but worldwide too.
"We were contacted back in April by the Rainbow Wall. They liked some of our designs and they wanted us to come up with something for them, which is exactly what we did. They bought upwards of 500 to start with and they sold so well they purchased a second order from us.
"They’ve sold out now, but obviously with what happened at the game, the Rainbow Wall have been back on the phone today. We’ve been inundated with requests as we look for ways to support the LGBTQ+ community out there and the fans that have been affected."
While he cannot make any promises at this early stage, Ian is determined to support the LGBTQ+ community and says there is potential for more hats to be produced after the "really upsetting" events of Monday night.
"I was really dismayed and saddened by the whole thing," he said. "Everybody loves a bit of publicity for their brand, but obviously not under these circumstances. It was really upsetting to see, especially for poor Laura McAllister who was in the limelight of it all, I really felt for her and the rest of the community.
"It would be great to show our support once again, so there's a possibility that they will be going back into production if there's a will for it, which there seems to be based on the kind of communication we've had so far today."
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A strong statement released by the FAW on Tuesday said they were "extremely disappointed by reports that members of Y Wal Goch, which included FAW staff members, were asked to remove and discard their Rainbow Wall bucket hats before entry to the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. These bucket hats were created in partnership with the FAW.
"The FAW has collated information on these alleged incidents and will be addressing this matter directly with FIFA today. The FAW will not be releasing any further comment at this stage."
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