World Cup: Rainbow hat confiscated, ex-Wales footballer says

An ex-Wales footballer has described being asked to region her "rainbow wall" bucket chapeau arsenic she entered a World Cup stadium successful Qatar.

Laura McAllister, a cheery pistillate and past Fifa Council candidate, said she was told to region her chapeau earlier the commencement of Wales' opener against the USA.

The rainbow mentation of Welsh instrumentality hats shows enactment for the LGBTQ+ community.

Fifa - satellite football's governing body, which is liable for the tourney - has been asked to comment.

It comes aft nationalist squad captains, including Wales' Gareth Bale, were told not to deterioration One Love armbands. Homosexuality is amerciable successful Qatar.

Ms McAllister, a Cardiff University prof and 1 of the FAW's tourney ambassadors, was stopped during information checks astatine the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium perimeter connected Monday evening.

Video footage taken of the incidental appears to amusement officers telling her to region the hat.

BBC Wales has been told officials asked her to region the rainbow chapeau and that it was considered a restricted item, and would request to beryllium handed in.

The incidental comes contempt erstwhile assurances that fans would beryllium allowed to deterioration them.

Ms McAllister wrote connected Twitter: "So, contempt good words from FIFA World Cup earlier event, Cymru rainbow bucket hats confiscated astatine stadium, excavation included.

"I had a speech astir this with stewards - we person video evidence," she wrote. "This World Cup 2022 conscionable gets amended but we volition proceed basal up for our values."

The bucket chapeau has go the must-have accessory for Wales fans implicit the past decade.

The yellow, greenish and reddish hats are worn successful their thousands by the alleged 'Red Wall', with a rainbow mentation besides produced.

Wales' Rainbow Wall wrote connected Twitter: "Our rainbow bucket hat. We are truthful arrogant of them, but quality connected the crushed contiguous is our welsh pistillate supporters wearing them successful Qatar are having them taken disconnected them, not the men, conscionable women.

"Fifa are you superior !! LGBTQRights."

An American journalist, Grant Wahl, said helium was besides stopped for fractional an hr by information for wearing a rainbow-themed t-shirt.

He was aboriginal allowed to participate the stadium perimeter, helium added.

"Finally a commandant came through, said I could spell through, and apologised," helium told the BBC.