Guelph woman nearly kicked out of World Cup match after police found pride flag

There have been numerous incidents during the men’s World Cup in Qatar that have forced football fans around the world to refrain from expressing their support for the LGBTQ2 community.

A woman from Guelph, Ontario, shared her experience in Qatar with Global News on Thursday.

Helen Loftin watched Canada take on powerhouse Belgium in the tournament’s first match at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

She told 640 Toronto radio host Greg Brady that she brought a flag of pride to the venue.

“I played for five minutes without a problem,” Loftin said. appeared and took it away.”

Loftin explained that police officers at the stadium told her she was not allowed to carry that flag.

“I said to them, ‘This is my country’s flag. I’m proud of my country. I just want to show it to everyone,'” Lofton said. “They said to me, ‘This is not your country’s flag,’ and pointed to another flag and said, ‘This is your country’s flag and you are not allowed to fly it. Frankly, you are disrespecting our country by doing so.”

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Loftin said he was threatened with ejection from the stadium if he didn’t hand over the pride flag.

“I was a little upset, but I was happy to have the opportunity to show someone that my Canada is inclusive.”

Her confrontation with police in Qatar is one of many instances in which host country authorities crack down on symbols that reflect support for the LGBTQ2 community. One Australian football fan was reportedly barred from entering the stadium after security guards found a pride flag in his bag. was threatened with disciplinary action by football’s governing body, FIFA, for wearing armbands supporting the LGBTQ2 community on the pitch.

“Human rights, worker deaths, LGBTQ issues, etc. have given this tournament a very negative publicity in the media,” said Canadian Football Hall of Famer Carrie Serwetnik, a gay advocate for equal rights in sport. told the Canadian Press. “It looks like the tournament is still trying to find some fun.”

Although they weren’t allowed to fly the pride flag, Loftin said he couldn’t contain his excitement at seeing the men’s national soccer team make it to the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

“That stadium was so loud, it was a lot of fun,” Loftin said. “It was certainly a great experience.”

Belgium beat Canada 1-0. Canada’s next game is against Croatia on Sunday, and Loftin said he plans to attend that game as well.

— Using files from The Canadian Press

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