FIFA President Sepp Blatter, right, is greeted by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, during his visit to Zimbabwe on Monday. TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI/AP/Press Association Images
So Close
How a gay rights activist nearly convinced FIFA to denounce homophobia
The organiser of Berlin’s annual Gay Pride Parade managed to squeeze an informal agreement out of FIFA chiefs last month.
Negotiations between World Cup organisers and Robert Kastl, organiser of Berlin’s annual Gay Pride Parade, took place after municipal officials promised both parties the use of the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate on June 25, the day before the first game of the Women’s World Cup.
An informal arrangement was agreed upon with Kastl offering to reroute the parade’s 700,000 revellers in exchange for an official FIFA statement opposing homophobia, but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour when football chiefs pulled their event after failing to attract big-name pop stars such as Beyoncé and Prince.
How a gay rights activist nearly convinced FIFA to denounce homophobia
FIFA EXECUTIVES PASSED up the opportunity to make a ground-breaking denunciation of homophobia in sport last month, according to a report by Stefan Thiel for the Daily Beast.
Negotiations between World Cup organisers and Robert Kastl, organiser of Berlin’s annual Gay Pride Parade, took place after municipal officials promised both parties the use of the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate on June 25, the day before the first game of the Women’s World Cup.
An informal arrangement was agreed upon with Kastl offering to reroute the parade’s 700,000 revellers in exchange for an official FIFA statement opposing homophobia, but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour when football chiefs pulled their event after failing to attract big-name pop stars such as Beyoncé and Prince.
Read more of Stefan Thiel’s article for the Daily Beast >
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Berlin Gay Pride Parade Brandenburg Gate FIFA Gay Pride Homophobia Robert Kastl So Close