To Speak, or not to Speak - Freedom of Expression under the Lex Sportiva and Human Rights Law at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

To Speak, or not to Speak - Freedom of Expression under the Lex Sportiva and Human Rights Law at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar Rietiker, Daniel Author aut Text xx# 2022 Verfassungsblog 2022-12-15 eng Several national football federations and their teams had planned to wear a rainbow armband (also called the “One-Love” armband) when entering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which symbolizes solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Promptly, this simple gesture in favor of respect of human rights and diversity was forbidden by FIFA. The days following the ban, players and teams expressed their unease about FIFA’s strict position and about the uncertainty of the potential sanctions. FIFA’s practice towards freedom of expression lacks consistency, which further highlights the protection gap that exists between the lex sportiva, the rules and regulations governing sports, and human rights law in respect of freedom of expression. How could the differences be reconciled? CC BY-SA 4.0 Rietiker, Daniel FIFA Freedom of Expression Lex Sportiva Qatar Sport Governing Bodies World Cup 342 https://verfassungsblog.de/to-speak-or-not-to-speak/ Verfassungsblog 2366-7044 Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH 10.17176/20221216-001620-0 221215 10.17176/20221216-001620-0 Converted from MARCXML to MODS version 3.7 using MARC21slim2MODS3-7.xsl (Revision 1.140 20200717)