Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
FA urged to use influence to protect rainbow symbol
Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison sporting a rainbow captain's armband during a Premier League match against Bournemouth, December 5, 2024

THE FA should use its influence over the sport’s laws to protect the rainbow symbol in time for the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, a senior figure within an England LGBTQ+ fans’ group has said.

Three Lions Pride co-chair Joe White said the FA had been “naive” in accepting Saudi assurances that LGBTQ+ supporters would be safe and welcome before agreeing to support the bid of a country which criminalises same-sex relationships.

White said the FA should now use its position within the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to change Law 4, governing players’ equipment, to prevent a repeat of what happened in Qatar two years ago.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A cyclist rides past an installation promoting the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico, February 25, 2026
Men's Football / 26 February 2026
26 February 2026
President Donald Trump meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington.
Men’s football / 20 June 2025
20 June 2025

JAMES NALTON discusses how Fifa claims to be apolitical, but as Infantino and Juventus players stood behind Trump discussing war, gender, and global politics, the line between sport and statecraft vanished

Palestinian players leave the field after an Asian Group B World Cup qualifying soccer match against Oman at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan on June 12, 2025
Men’s football / 17 June 2025
17 June 2025

Dabbagh and his Palestinian team’s World Cup campaign may have come to an end, but it has given fans hope amid war and tragedy, writes JOHN DUERDEN

Gianni Infantino
Men’s football / 23 April 2025
23 April 2025

JAMES NALTON discusses the use of dynamic ticket pricing at the 2026 World Cup and how it amplifies a culture already set up to squeeze as much money from fans as possible