Groups Call on FIFA to Condemn Homophobia on “Day Against Discrimination”

Melanie Nathan, July 11, 2011,

Nigerian Coach Uche

The international gay rights pressure group AllOut.org has called for FIFA to publicly condemn homophobia in league play, starting with a full investigation of head Nigerian Football Coach, Eucharia Uche, for her homophobic coaching policies documented last week in the New York Times and earlier this year in the Nigerian paper “the Daily Sun.” They and more than one hundred gay rights activists will hold a “flashmob” in front of the Frankfurt Football stadium before the opening whistle of the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final.

The group is also urging suspensions for any and all FIFA Football Coaches who violate this civil right. The sanctions would be consistent with previous infractions by FIFA members including ones against Maradona and Zidane.

“Anyone who has played or watched football knows that there are consequences for breaking the rules of the game,’ said Andre Banks, co-founder of AllOut.org. “It is time for FIFA to finally cry foul and give Coach Uche the red card, sending a strong message that discrimination against lesbian and gay players will not be tolerated on or off the field.”

An incredible 45,000 people all around the world have joined the campaign started by the global gay rights organization AllOut.org, which has also been endorsed by key sport federations such as the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) and the Federation of Gay Games (FGG).

FIFA has dodged the reports of homophobia in the Nigerian team with a bland statement broadly denouncing “discrimination” without mentioning homophobia explicitly or the specific allegations against Nigeria’s coach.

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When: Wednesday, July 13 · 7:00pm – 7:30pm

Where: S-Bahn Station in front of Commerzbank Arena

What: 100 activists dressed up as referees with Red Cards reading “homophobia no”

The New York Times reported that the Nigerian Football Federation had been conducting a witch-hunt to kick women off the national team “not because they were bad players, but because they were lesbians.” The article is available at this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/sports/soccer/in-african-womens-soccer-homophobia-remains-an-obstacle.html

The campaign can be found at these links:

www.allout.org/fifa

www.eglsf.info

www.fvv.org

AllOut.org is a global campaign organization of over half a million people from 190 countries around the world dedicated to LGBT equality. A movement working online and on the ground to build a world in which everyone can live freely and be embraced for who they are, All Out is adding global people power to the historic fight for LGBT equality. Find out more at: www.allout.org

http://lgbtweekly.com/2011/06/30/lesbianism-eradicated-from-nigerian-womens-soccer-team/