Former Wales footballer Laura McAllister denied entry to game because of rainbow bucket hat
Former Wales footballer Laura McAllister has spoken out about being 'denied' entry to the stadium for her nation's World Cup opener against the USA.
The 57-year-old said officials at the Al Rayyan Stadium in Qatar had told her the hat represented a 'banned symbol'.
Watch officials confront McAllister about the hat here:
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McAllister, now a professor at Cardiff University, wrote on Twitter: "So, despite fine words from @FIFAWorldCup before event, @Cymru rainbow bucket hats confiscated at stadium, mine included.
"I had a conversation about this with stewards – we have video evidence. This #WorldCup2022 just gets better but we will continue stand up for our values."
Speaking to ITV News, she added: "When we got through security, some of the security guards said that we had to take the hat off.
"When I asked them why they said because it was a banned symbol, and that we weren't allowed to wear it in the stadium.
"I pointed out the FIFA had made lots of comments about supporting LGBT rights in this tournament, and that was it coming from a nation where we were very passionate about ensuring that there's equality for all people, I wasn't going to take my hat off."
She continued: "They were insistent that unless I took the hat off, we weren't actually allowed to come into the stadium, we had to go and leave it in a sort of lost property area.
"So we were basically forced to go back out of the stadium and then take it to a lost property area. But I think had a little moral victory in that I managed to sneak it in. And who knows, I might even wear it during the game and see where we go from there."
Good on ya, Laura.
She was one of many Wales fans to report having their rainbow bucket hats confiscated.
Wales' Rainbow Wall, a group of LGBTQ+ supporters, said male supporters wearing the hats were allowed to keep them but the items were taken from women.
The bucket hat has become the must-have accessory for Wales fans over the past decade.
The yellow, green and red hats are worn in their thousands by the so-called 'Red Wall', with a rainbow version also produced.
Wales' Rainbow Wall wrote: "Our rainbow bucket hat. We are so proud of them, but news on the ground tonight is our welsh female supporters wearing them in #Qatar are having them taken off them, not the men, just women.
"@Fifacom are you serious !! #LGBTQRights."
PA news agency understands a US supporter was threatened on the Metro travelling to the stadium for carrying a small rainbow flag.
The man who appeared to be a Qatar supporter threatened to 'kill' the man, and was saying the flag 'was not allowed' and 'that flag is banned in this country'.
"We have our own culture," he added.
Wales and US fans, as well as Qatari security guards, intervened to protect the fan carrying the flag, which is a symbol of LGBTQ+ rights and pride.
Wales, along with England and other European nations, earlier confirmed they would not be wearing the anti-discrimination One Love rainbow armbands after governing body Fifa threatened sporting sanctions.
Jake Massey