The Germany-Hungary match was perhaps not shaping up to be the most attractive poster for Euro 2021 football. This meeting, counting for the third and last day of the group stage, nevertheless made people talk about it even before its kickoff, scheduled for Wednesday 23 June in the evening, in Munich. The day before the meeting, the “Rainbow Gate” (“the rainbow affair”), as it has been called, delivered a new example of the possible telescoping between football and politics.
The host city wanted to light its stadium in rainbow colors, a symbol of the defense of sexual and gender minorities (LGBT +); a way of protesting against the Hungarian government of the ultraconservative Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, and in particular against a law adopted on June 15, in Budapest, aimed at banning “Pornography and content that depicts sexuality or promotes gender identity deviation, sex reassignment and homosexuality” with minors.
On Tuesday, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) refused the Munich request. ” Given the political context ”, the organizing body of the competition asserted the principle of neutrality.
In order to “Promote diversity and inclusion”, however, she proposed to iridescent the enclosure on another day. Either on June 28, or during the first half of July. Not for a football match, but for the Pride March festivities, organized by the LGBT + movement.
This decision was welcomed on the Hungarian side. “Thank goodness the leaders of European football have shown common sense (…) by not participating in what would have been a political provocation against Hungary ”, considered the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijjarto.
Several stadiums in Germany in the colors of the rainbow
But, across the Rhine, many politicians have condemned UEFA’s attitude. ” Too bad. (…) It would have been a very good sign of tolerance and freedom ”, reacted the conservative Markus Söder (CSU), head of the Bavarian regional government. “In such a context, UEFA’s campaigns against racism and discrimination against homosexuals lose all credibility”, said the secretary general of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Paul Ziemiak.
“Dear UEFA, it’s not like I expect much from you. But you are even more of a nuisance than I thought. Shame on you “, meanwhile tweeted the General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Lars Klingbeil.
You have 55.05% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.