England’s men’s football team are flying to Qatar Tuesday on a ‘Gay Pride’ jet in a gesture of solidarity with the LGBT community.
The World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 20, but controversy has dogged the tournament over the country’s intolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community. Same-sex relations are punishable by a prison sentence, and even possibly death in Qatar.
The team’s manager Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane will lead the squad on board ‘Rain Bow’, a Virgin Atlantic A350 Airbus.
The plane features a cartoon mascot Oscar who has rainbow-themed trainers and has the call sign ‘GV-PRD’, an abbreviation of “pride”.
According to the Sun, the plane was chosen to register concern about gay rights.
A source told the paper: “It’s no coincidence this particular plane was chosen.
“It perfectly illustrates the concerns of the England party and those of every civilised nation taking part in the tournament.”
Gareth Southgate said last week it was “highly unlikely” his squad would comply with a FIFA instruction that teams not raise what it called “political” concerns.
He said: “We stand for inclusivity, and we're very, very strong on that. We think that's important in terms of all our supporters and we understand the challenges that this tournament brings within that.”
Harry Kane will also wear a OneLove rainbow armband during the tournament as part of an anti-discrimination initiative.
The United States is also among the teams making a gesture about the country’s draconian human rights record, by unveiling a rainbow-themed team logo at their training facility on Monday.
Germany’s team will also fly out on an Airbus A330 with the message “diversity wins” across its fuselage.
Last week, one of the country’s ambassadors for the tournament, Khalid Salman, called homosexuality “damage in the mind”, sparking renewed anger.
On Monday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended attending the tournament and comments he made urging LGBT+ fans to “respect” Qatar’s laws.
He said: “I've visited Qatar in the lead-up to the World Cup and when I go to the World Cup, I will be speaking to the security authorities to ensure that English and Welsh and whatever other British fans who are going to the World Cup remain safe."
