'Pride Match' organizers highlight Seattle's inclusivity amid opposition from Iran and Egypt
SEATTLE (AP) — The perimeter of Seattle's World Cup stadium was dotted with rainbows Friday, ahead of a match between teams representing two of the most repressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
It was just a coincidence that the city’s “Pride Match” ended up as a high-stakes matchup between Iran and Egypt — with advancement from Group G still up in the air — and the move has come with plenty of pushback from both countries. But Seattle officials and its soccer community say this distinctive pairing is an opportunity to showcase the city’s inclusivity as well as the common ground that can be found at the World Cup.
“I don’t think there is a sport that has a global event that creates unity and diversity and a bringing together of so many cultures quite like the World Cup,” Jess Fishlock, captain of the National Women’s Soccer League club Seattle Reign, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I think we get to see that firsthand at the Pride Match.”
Same-sex relations are illegal in Iran, where gay men have been executed on sodomy charges, while Egypt has prosecuted gay and lesbian people and suppressed outward expressions of gay pride, including rainbow flags. The countries complained to FIFA in December about the “Pride Match” and have asked that the celebrations be canceled. In a statement Friday, Iran's federation said it had made its position clear to FIFA in multiple letters and meetings and was assured “that no ceremonies or promotional activities related to this issue will take place inside the stadium or as part of the official match programme.”
“Iran and Egypt are two Muslim countries with deep cultural and religious commonalities, and the views expressed by both federations reflect the shared values and beliefs of the people of the two nations,” Iran's federation said in the Friday statement.
FIFA treats the rainbow flag as a statement of human rights and will allow fans to wave it inside the stadium, according to Hana Tadesse, a spokesperson for Seattle’s World Cup organizing committee.
Anthony Vega, 50, stood outside the stadium more than three hours before kickoff, waving a large rainbow flag. At his first World Cup match after winning the ticket lottery, he said he thought more people would be outside with Pride flags.
“If one or two kids in Iran or Egypt see who we really are as Americans and how we are accepting, especially here in my home, that could change the lives for a lot of people, or them,” said Vega, who celebrated his first Pride in 1991.
People milled about clutching small rainbow flags from the human rights organization Outright International. “This flag stands with LGBTIQ people facing violence, criminalization, and erasure around the world,” it read in part.
When asked Thursday about the pride celebration, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said the team was focused on soccer.
“We are concerned with football on the pitch,” he said in Arabic. “We respect fair play and rules for everybody to abide by.”
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei made similar remarks during a news conference Thursday when asked about what will happen at the stadium.
“We are only going to speak about football, what a beautiful game it is, and how enjoyable it’s going to be,” Ghalenoei said in response to a reporter’s question in Farsi.
The match on Friday coincides with Seattle’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and Pride watch parties are planned in some neighborhoods. Over the weekend, the city will hold its popular Pride parade.
Stacy Harbour, 53, works for an LGBTQ+ nonprofit that was invited by the local organizing committee and brought 20 young people to the match, handing them “goody bags” filled with Pride face paint, flags and headbands. Harbour, who lives in Seattle, said she’s glad these two countries are the ones competing.
“If we’re going to have any game on Seattle Pride weekend, lets have this one,” she said. “There are groups of folks that live here in Seattle that are of Egyptian, Iranian descent. This is their opportunity to represent their intersectional identities. This is an opportunity to show the world what Seattle is. And Seattle is an inclusive city. We always have been, we always will be.”
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