FIFA have informed all nations participating in the Qatar World Cup that the rainbow flag and similar rainbow-themed merchandise will “not be prohibited” during the next round of fixtures.
The game's governing body have reportedly been told by Qatar that there will be no further issues related to the topic after a string of incidents in the first round of group stage matches led to some fans having items that donned rainbow colours confiscated upon entry into stadiums.
Seven different UEFA federations were forced into pulling out of the planned gesture to wear the 'OneLove armband' after FIFA threatened to book any player wearing it. The rainbow colours have been a major talking point throughout the build-up and first week of the tournament.
This stems from the fact that many players and coaches from different nations wish to show signs of solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community in response to Qatar's laws and view on homosexuality.
Earlier this week, a group of Wales supporters had their rainbow-themed bucket hats removed as they tried to get into the stadium to watch their nation's first World Cup match for more than 60 years when they took on USA.
Wales’ Rainbow Wall - a group of LGBTQ+ supporters, confirmed the news on Twitter that the supporters had their hats taken from them as they tried to enter the stadium. The post read: "Our rainbow bucket hat.
"We are so proud of them, but news on the ground is our welsh female supporters wearing them in Qatar are having them taken off them, Not the men, just Women. @Fifacom are you serious !! #LGBTQRights."
Remarkably, The Independent report that some Wales fans were even told to take off gear that was simply the red, yellow, white and green of their home strip.
This has understandably sparked some concern among multiple different federations, especially as they were thought to have been told by FIFA before the competition started that it would be an open tournament.
The organisation has since communicated that the Safety and Security Operations Committee have vowed to no longer confiscate rainbow-coloured items.
Despite this, some federations are still fearful and question just how confident FIFA can be in regards to the message from the Safety and Security Operations Committee given how questionable local security has operated thus far.
