UEFA has rejected the city of Munich’s request to light up the stadium with rainbow colors for the Euro 2020 soccer match between Germany and Hungary on Wednesday June 23rd. The request was made following a proposal from the Munich city council after an anti-LGBTQ law was approved by Hungary’s parliament last week.
The initiative was meant to show support for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community in Hungary, where the government recently passed a law banning the dissemination of content about sexual orientation to children under 18. It bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change; the legislation has been widely criticized by human rights groups.
By its statutes, UEFA is a politically and religiously neutral organization
UEFA
The municipality chaired by Dieter Reiter wanted to light up the Allianz Arena with the colors of the rainbow, a symbol associated with the LGBT community, for the match between Germany and Hungary, for the third round of Group F, as well as raising multicolored flags in the enclosure.
UEFA tried to nuance its decision by underlining that “discriminatory behavior has marred both matches themselves and, outside the stadiums, the online discourse around the sport we love.” The European governing body, however, remained firm about its final decision.
Given the political context of this specific request — a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament — UEFA must decline this request
UEFA
UEFA says it believes that discrimination can only be fought in close collaboration with others, and proposes that the Bavarian city light up the stadium with these colors on June 28, the day of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade, or between July 3 and 8, during CSD week in Munich.
