'Respect the culture' - Fifa urged to allow Pride Match

A member of the advisory committee for the controversial 2026 World Cup Pride Match has said he hopes Fifa "does the right thing" by allowing planned celebrations to continue, after they called on visitors to "respect the culture" in Qatar four years ago.

Local organisers in Seattle have designated the World Cup match between Egypt and Iran at Lumen Field on 26 June as the centre of celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community.

The plans were made before the teams for the fixture were decided.

The Egyptian FA has publicly called for the celebrations to be cancelled and for Fifa - which has no official involvement in the plans - to intervene.

But Eric Wahl, who is a member of the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee, says there has been no contact from Fifa - and that the celebrations are part of the culture of Seattle, so should be respected by visiting teams.

"I know Egypt are petitioning Fifa, but it raises ethical issues," Wahl said.

"In Qatar they said we had to respect the culture."

Wahl was pointing to the rhetoric around the 2022 World Cup in Qatar - a country which also has laws against same-sex relationships - where Fifa said players who wore the OneLove armband in support of LGBTQ+ people would receive yellow cards.

The game will take place on the weekend of Seattle Pride, and two days before the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which are generally regarded as the birth of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

In Iran, the maximum punishment for homosexual relations is the death penalty, while in Egypt morality laws are frequently used to suppress LGBTQ+ rights and relationships.

"I can't anticipate what Fifa will do, I hope they do the right thing," said Wahl. "We haven't heard from them, and I am a little surprised they have not reached out, but in general Fifa's approach is respectful silence - that's good.

"With regards to issues like human rights, they will stay out."

BBC Sport has contacted Fifa and the Football Associations of Egypt and Iran for comment.

The Egyptian FA said it had sent a formal letter to Fifa secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, rejecting "in absolute terms" any activities linked to LGBTQ+ support during the match.

The lengthy Egyptian FA statement claimed the initiative would clash with "the cultural, religious and social values" of Egypt and Iran, and urged Fifa to ensure the match would remain focused on football.

It cited Fifa's statutes on political and social neutrality, arguing matches should not be used to promote causes that are "sensitive or of a contentious nature".

The Pride Match plans have also reportedly drawn criticism from Iranian media.

But Wahl said their plans - which focus more on events around the city rather than during the match itself - are staying on course for now.

However he said it was likely there would be celebrations of LGBTQ+ people in stands during the Egypt v Iran game.

"We don't have involvement with things going on inside the stadium, but it is a very Seattle thing to have Pride flags inside the ground," he said.

"Everyone affiliated with Egypt and Iran soccer teams are welcome at our parades and events, we are sure they will see it.

"This is something that began to get put together well over a year ago. Pride Month in June is always important, and Seattle does stuff throughout the month.

"So, knowing we have this once-in-a-generation chance, we knew we wanted one of these matches to be pride-themed, with all the resources we have, to highlight to all of our visitors and do it in a joyful kind of way.

"There was never any strategic intent of 'sticking it to anyone', to make Fifa feel a certain way."

He said art from a poster competition would be displayed around the city, and there would be a LGBTQ+ history trail for people to follow.

For Wahl, Pride celebrations which coincide with the World Cup carries personal importance.

Wahl, who is gay, is the brother of the late American football writer, Grant.

At Qatar 2022, Grant was briefly detained by Qatari authorities for trying to enter a stadium wearing a rainbow shirt in support of LGBT rights.

Aged 49, he collapsed and died while covering the quarter-final match between Argentina and Netherlands.

"I told Grant not to poke the bear, but Grant was Grant. There are queer people in Qatar, in the Middle East, and he wanted to highlight the hypocrisy. He loved soccer, but not with blinkers on," he said.

"It is very much a bittersweet experience, and that will be same at every World Cup for the rest of mine and my family's life.

He described the fixture schedule as "anything but a negative, as it shows LGBT people in Egypt and Iran that we welcome you, welcome anyone who loves soccer".

"It would mean a great deal to me to know that a football fan in Iran, which has a beautiful artistic history, and Egypt, which has such an incredible history, sees this," he said.

"It is easy to reduce a country to the sum of their worst parts, and there is meaning in seeing not everywhere in the world is like that. That welcome can be revolutionary."