\u2018Pride Match\u2019 organizers highlight Seattle\u2019s inclusivity amid opposition from Iran and Egypt <\/p>\n
SEATTLE \u2014 Seattle\u2019s stadium is expected to be brimming with rainbow flags on Friday for a World Cup match between teams representing two of the most repressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.<\/p>\n
It was just a coincidence that the city\u2019s \u201cPride Match\u201d ended up as a high-stakes matchup between Iran and Egypt \u2014 with advancement from Group G still up in the air \u2014 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\u2019s inclusivity as well as the common ground that can be found at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Jess Fishlock, captain of the National Women\u2019s Soccer League club Seattle Reign, said this is what the World Cup is all about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t 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,\u201d she told The Associated Press on Thursday. \u201cI think we get to see that firsthand at the Pride Match.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The countries complained to FIFA in December about the \u201cPride Match\u201d and have asked that the celebrations be canceled. In a statement Friday, Iran\u2019s federation said it had made its position clear to FIFA in multiple letters and meetings and was assured \u201cthat no ceremonies or promotional activities related to this issue will take place inside the stadium or as part of the official match programme.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIran 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,\u201d Iran\u2019s federation said in the Friday statement.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s World Cup organizing committee.<\/p>\n
When asked Thursday about the pride celebration, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said the team was focused on soccer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are concerned with football on the pitch,\u201d he said in Arabic. \u201cWe respect fair play and rules for everybody to abide by.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei made similar remarks during a news conference Thursday when asked about what will happen at the stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are only going to speak about football, what a beautiful game it is, and how enjoyable it\u2019s going to be,\u201d Ghalenoei said in response to a reporter\u2019s question in Farsi.<\/p>\n
The match on Friday coincides with Seattle\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Ilona Lohrey, president and CEO of the Greater Seattle Business Association, an LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce, described Seattle as one of the most inclusive cities in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it gives us an opportunity to showcase who we are as a city, who we are as a people and how diversity makes us stronger,\u201d Lohrey said in an interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2018Pride Match\u2019 organizers highlight Seattle\u2019s inclusivity amid opposition from Iran and Egypt SEATTLE \u2014 Seattle\u2019s stadium is expected…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[149118,217,2424,7999,48,52,51,3556,47,50,49,63,24644,24026,13824,151327,30755,5571,5393],"class_list":["post-376161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-daily-recap","tag-day","tag-friday","tag-highlight","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-live-update","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-memorable-moment","tag-plenty","tag-result","tag-six-game-slate","tag-standing","tag-tv-schedule","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}