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English gay footballer slams FIFA on selecting Russia, Qatar for World Cups

LONDON — A leading figure within the English Football Association says she won't go to the World Cups in Qatar and Russia because of their anti-gay laws.
By · Updated on December 27, 2014
English gay footballer slams FIFA on selecting Russia, Qatar for World Cups
Casey Stoney
Casey Stoney

LONDON — A leading figure within the English Football Association says she won’t go to the World Cups in Qatar and Russia because of their anti-gay laws.

Casey Stoney, the England women’s team captain, says FIFA has set the wrong example by awarding its showpiece men’s events to those countries.

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Stoney, who is gay, told the BBC: “I won’t be going to Russia or Qatar to watch a World Cup because I wouldn’t be accepted there.”

Russia, which is currently hosting the Winter Olympics in Sochi ahead of the 2018 World Cup, has come under fire for a law banning homosexual “propaganda” aimed at minors. In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, homosexual acts are illegal.

Casey says it is “incredible that these countries get World Cups and Olympics.”

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