Former US Footballer and Sports Journalists asked not to sport the Rainbow bucket hats, prevented from entering the stadium

Rainbow Hat controversy (Source: Twitter)

The matches in the FIFA World Cup have been brilliant with top-quality football being played and the matches being close encounters. But on the other side, the World Cup has been marred with controversies so far. Another one to join the list was the Rainbow hat controversy.

The Wales football fans were in for a shock as many of them who were putting on the Rainbow bucket hats were forbidden to enter the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Monday night. This happened right after a journalist from the US was not granted entry because he was wearing a rainbow-coloured shirt.

Many of the fans had to deal with security for bringing the hats into the stadiums, and also, for some fans, the hats were confiscated. Notably, the Rainbow hats which were worn by the Welsh fans symbolise support for the LGBTQ community. Meanwhile, homosexuality has been deemed illegal in Qatar.

Grant Wall was asked to remove his Rambow shirt by security

Among the many fans from Wales who had to go through this disturbing experience, one of them was a former Wales footballer who had the rainbow-coloured hat confiscated from the stadium. According to footage and reports, she was asked to remove it as it was classified as a restricted item and that it be given to security.

This is a complete U-turn on the matter by the officials in Qatar who had earlier permitted the fans to sport them. Laura took to Twitter to recount her experience. "So, despite fine words from @FIFAWorldCup before event @Cymru rainbow Bucket hats confiscated at the stadium, mine included. I had a conversation about this with stewards - we have video evidence. This #WorldCup2022 just gets better but we will continue to stand up for our values,'' she wrote.

Right before this, Grant Wall, a former Sports journalist, was denied permission to enter USA’s game against Wales and he was asked to remove his shirt. "You have to change your shirt. It's not allowed," He later tweeted about what went on.

He later claimed that his phone was snatched away when he tweeted about the incident. Afterwards, he was approached by a security official who permitted him to enter the venue. According to a report by Reuters.