Football fans everywhere mourned the loss of seeing some of our fave LGBTQIA players on the pitch in Paris next summer
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM (@LIONESSES)
Football fans were left heartbroken when it was announced that Team GB’s football team had not qualified to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite a staggering 6-0 win from the Lionesses against Scotland, it was not enough to secure their spot at the highly-anticipated final next summer.
Although in previous years Olympic qualification has been decided by the World Cup, European qualification for the Paris Games was decided by the inaugural Women’s Nations League. The finalists of this competition would go on to play at the Olympics itself.
The Lionesses were chosen to fly the Team GB flag high due to their ranking being higher than any other home nation (Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). The team’s Olympic dreams were crushed, however, when Dutch midfielder Damaris Egurrola scored two injury-time goals against Belgium, leading her team to the top of their Group.
LGBTQIA football fans will sorely miss the queer representation that the Lionesses have brought to football. At the World Cup earlier this year we saw openly LGBTQIA players like Jess Carter, Rachel Daly, and Bethany England take to the pitch.
Lioness manager, Sarina Wiegman, said on the loss: “I was really proud of the performance, but we’re not through and it’s very disappointing.”
Despite the loss, fans on Twitter have taken to consoling the players and reminding them that they still played a beautiful game. Hopefully, we’ll see the Lionesses back on the pitch soon.
The Lionesses have played a pivotal role in boosting the prominence and popularity of women’s football after their historic win at the 2022 Euros.
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