Qatar World Cup Ambassador Says Homosexuality 'Damage In The Mind,' Wants FIFA Visitors To Accept 'Rules'

A Qatar World Cup ambassador said homosexuality was “damage in the mind,” as the Gulf state gears up to host over a million visitors for the global football tournament in less than two weeks.

What Happened: “(Homosexuality) is haram. You know what haram (forbidden) means?,” former soccer player Khalid Salman told German television broadcaster ZDF in an interview.

Homosexuality is considered illegal in the conservative Muslim country, and some of the soccer players participating in the FIFA World Cup 2022 have raised concerns for the rights of their fans traveling to the event, especially LGBT+ individuals and women. 

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While replying to a question about why he feels homosexuality is forbidden, Salman said, “I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind.”

“They have to accept our rules here,” he added. 

An accompanying official reportedly stopped the interview after Salman's comments. 

In recent years, Qatar has been under fire for its restrictive social laws and ill-treatment of foreign workers. This has also led to calls for teams and officials to boycott the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament in the Middle Eastern country. 

Meanwhile, FIFA said everyone was welcome in Qatar during the World Cup. FIFA's Deputy General Secretary Alasdair Bell on Oct. 13 acknowledged that there has been clear progress in improving human and labor rights in the country and that FIFA has been very active in this process. 

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