Cavallo has reason to be “very scared.” Should he end up playing in the finals, Qatar wouldn’t attempt to prosecute him, despite its laws, given the high profile of the games. On the contrary, in 2019, chief executive of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Nasser al-Khater, issued an open welcome to gay and transgender fans to the 2022 World Cup.
However, Qatar cannot guarantee that Cavallo will be safe from a zealous individual or group, intent on applying Sharia punishments.
“Gay footballer Josh Cavallo would be too ‘scared’ to play at World Cup in homophobic Qatar,” Pink News, November 8, 2021:
The Adelaide United left-back, 21, became world’s only out gay active top-flight male football player when he came out last month.
But as much his courage as has been applauded by the game’s top players, clubs and bodies, the athlete had admitted he has fears for his safety over the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
In Qatar, male homosexuality is illegal and punishable with fines, prison sentences and technically, under Sharia law, death. Despite this, in 2010 FIFA named Qatar the host of the 2022 World Cup, the first-ever to be held in the Arab world.
“I read something along the lines of that [Qutar] give the death penalty for gay people in Qatar, so it’s something I’m very scared [of] and wouldn’t really want to go to Qatar for that,” Cavallo told The Guardian‘s Today in Focus podcast.
“And that saddens me. At the end of the day, the World Cup is in Qatar and one of the greatest achievements as a professional footballer is to play for your country.
“And to know that this is in a country that doesn’t support gay people and puts us at risk of our own life, that does scare me and makes me re-evaluate.
“Is my life more important than doing something really good in my career?”
According to the Human Dignity Trust, various articles of Qatar’s penal code punish same-sex relations with up to seven years in prison, while Sharia courts could technically hand down the death penalty – though there are “no reports of this being applied to date”.
A “danger index” for queer travelers placed Qatar as the second most threatening place in the world to travel for LGBT+ people, with some governments advising LGBT+ travellers to read up on the “serious penalties” they may face in Qatar….
Wellington says
Can’t blame him.
somehistory says
Young David, who later became King, “bearded the lion,’
but it takes courage and a very good reason to do what young David did.
No reason for this guy to take that extreme risk. Why risk certain death if one does not need to?
gravenimage says
Somehistory, that Cavallo should have to skip playing in the World Cup–the goal of every soccer player in the world–because FIFA ok’d its being held in this barbaric Islamic crap hole is just wrong.
It could also damage his career thereafter, too, if he gets the reputation of not supporting his team at a critical juncture–even though he has everey right to be scared of playing in Qatar. Imagine a baseball player who didn’t stand with his team in the World Series, or a football player who refused to play in the Superbowl.
Of course, Cavallo should not have to make this decision–but its been forced on him by fools pandering to Islam.
somehistory says
Of course it can hurt his “career” but which is more important….life or playing ball? islam and mozlums worldwide are forcing all of us to make hard choices….whether to take a job, a vacation, and most importantly *speak the truth* about the evil that is islam and that people should look into what it is all about and not trust mozlums to tell them.
Women are having to decide if they want to wear a bathing suit, or go on the streets of Paris without a scarf, etc. And they shouldn’t have to make those choices either.
Life is more important than a career…whatever the career, and no one is going to force mozlum countries to make playing ball, or acting, or singing or just dressing as one pleases safe for those who are not devout mozlums.
We are living at a time when mozlums are being given the freedom to take freedom away from everyone else. And that is not right for any of us.
gravenimage says
I agree, Somehistory–I’m just saying that it is disgusting pandering to Islam that is forcing this decision on him.
Infidel says
Graven
I don’t follow soccer, but common sense tells me that if he drops out, claiming injury or Chinavirus, and just sits out the tournament and returns after the world cup is over, he should be fine. Maybe a bit rusty from the break, but should quickly return to form once he resumes playing
gravenimage says
So now he is supposed to lie about why he doesn’t want to play in barbaric Qatar? And he may never get another chance to play in the World Cup. Just like the Olympics, the Soccer World Cup is only held every four years.
gregbeetham says
Why do gays feel the need to ‘come out’? who gives a rats ass about them ‘coming out’? is it exhibitionist to ‘come out’ or what? What is the motivation?
If you are gay just keep it to yourself, I for one am not interested in what letter of the alphabet you think you are.
If this guy had kept his stupid trap shut he wouldn’t have to worry about getting killed in Qatar.
somehistory says
At one time, they kept it hidden; guys would get married in order to conceal it and people like Rock Hudson and Robert Reed had leading parts where they had a female love interest in their acting careet.
Now, it seems that to be *happy* they must make everyone aware.
Mental illness has always been a taboo….only in recent years have people been encouraged to tell if they have a problem with depression, bipolar, etc. because it isn’t something about which to be ashamed.
It seems that homosexuals want to be admired for their choice, and being able to do the same things that the rest of mankind do.
I don’t really want to know, either. I worked in a place where some of the upper crust supervisors were homosexual and so the rank and file who also were talked about it endlessly.
gravenimage says
Greg, whatever you think about gay people being honest, *surely* you don’t think it’s OK for Muslims to murder homosexuals?
Besides, few gay people come out in Dar-al-Islam, for obvious reasons. But this does not mean that they are not murdered there. In fact, just being suspected of being gay, or even such matters as wearing goatees, jeans, liking “Emo” music, or being considered “sensitive” have been enough for the victims to be considered gay.
gregbeetham says
No GI I don’t think murdering gays is justified but I don’t think the straight world needs gays insisting on ‘coming out’ so they can be approved of, it must be a symptom of their affliction to seek approval I guess but normal people mostly don’t need them in their faces at all I think (if they were honest).
I also have been a big fan of just letting nature take its course in most things, maybe queers feel compelled to ‘come out’ it’s hard to say, but it strikes me as kinda lemming like to announce you are gay when in such a high profile situation and when there is a strong likelihood of ending up in an Islamic dominated country in the short term future.
Isabella van der westhuizen says
Since when is Adelaide FC a top flight club
Wellington says
I don’t think that’s the main point here.
gravenimage says
Exactly, Wellington.
And unless I’m reading the stats wrong, it looks as though Adelaide United is the second-ranked team in Australia’s A-League. That means that players from that team will almost certainly be on the Australia National Team at the World Cup–and Australia has qualified, and is ranked 4th in the Second Round.
So there seems to be no reason to sneer in any case.
Keith O says
He became a “top flight player” when he announced that he likes to play hide the sausage. Prior to that, nobody knew who he was nor cared.
Now that he has come out he is being elevated to dizzy heights.
His concerns over Qatar and the possibility of being bumped off are well founded and there is no way in hell I wold go there for any amount of money, and that’s with my being a confirmed lesbian.
gravenimage says
Gay soccer player Josh Cavallo is ‘very scared and wouldn’t really want to go to Qatar’ for 2022 World Cup
…………….
Josh Cavallo is right. That the World Cup is being held in Qatar is a sick joke.
And kudos to Pink News for carrying this story.
Infidel says
The most bizarre thing is the cup being awarded to Qatar alone. It would have made more sense for it to be shared b/w Qatar, UAE, Bahrein and Oman. Qatar doesn’t have as many stadiums as, say, Germany or Brazil or Italy
gravenimage says
I take your point, Infidel, but I don’t think the World Cup should be held in any of these Islamic crap holes.