“And that’s the cost because of the abuse and everything that goes with it. The hate. The death threats. And do you know what? It’s actually sad that I’m like, ‘it’s nothing new’.”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY 2023 GETTY IMAGES
Former Lioness and England Captain Alex Scott MBE spoke candidly at a recent GQ Heroes event about the backlash she received for wearing the One Love armband at the Qatar World Cup last year.
To combat the anti-LGBTQIA legislation in Qatar, nine football teams in the World Cup 2022 had initially agreed to wear the armband in solidarity with the LGBTQIA community. However, after FIFA threatened to give a yellow card to players with the One Love armband, all nine teams retracted their plans.
When asked at the GQ Heroes event about the “cost” of wearing the One Love armband in the months after the Qatar World Cup, Alex said: “I won’t say the next few months, I feel like it’s still ongoing.”
She continued: “After Qatar, I had to disappear. I mean, I disappeared somewhere nice, I did go to Barbados. But I was like, I need to get away, I just need to be on an island and escape life.”
“And that’s the cost because of the abuse and everything that goes with it. The hate. The death threats. And do you know what? It’s actually sad that I’m like ‘it’s nothing new’.”
Alex Scott won the LSEG Media Moment of the Year in the DIVA Awards 2023 for wearing the One Love armband during the Qatar World Cup despite the threats and sanctions imposed on players.
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Alex Scott is a star
(Michelle trans female)
This is exactly why sports events shouldn’t be held there.