Fifa will not stop fans from bringing rainbow flags into the stadium when Iran face Egypt in the controversial “Pride Match” in Seattle.

The World Cup game at Lumen Field at 4am on Saturday (UK time) coincides with Seattle’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.

Egypt and Iran have both lobbied Fifa demanding they have no association with Seattle’s PrideFest, which organisers say regularly attracts more than 200,000 participants.

Mehdi Taj, the president of Iran’s football federation (FFIRI), condemned the situation. In Iran, same-sex couples can face the death penalty.

The Football Association in Egypt, where Human Rights Watch says people from LGBTQ+ communities face persecution, said in a statement it had written to Fifa “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.”

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It is not permissible for anyone to issue a ruling on playing football – let alone taking it as a profession – without knowing the nature of this game at this time and the atmosphere that surrounds it. In this game ‘awrahs are uncovered, prayers are missed, fitnah and desires are provoked, and there is the possibility of harm and injury, as well as the negligence of acts of worship that is involved.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Playing football nowadays is accompanied by reprehensible things which mean that playing it should be disallowed. These things may be summed up as follows:

1 – It is proven to us that play continues during the times of prayer, which results in the players and spectators missing prayers or prayers in congregation, or they delay performing prayers until the time for them is over. Undoubtedly any action that interferes with performance of prayers on time or leads to missing prayers in congregation with no valid shar’i excuse is haraam.

2 – The nature of this game leads to factionalism, stirring up fitnah and hatred. These results are the opposite of what Islam promotes of tolerance, friendship and brotherhood, and cleaning hearts and souls of hatred, resentment and grudges.

3 – The game involves physical danger for the players as a result of collisions and injuries. Usually the players do not end the game without some of them falling on the pitch unconscious or with broken arms or legs. Nothing is more indicative of that than the fact that there must always be an ambulance present throughout the game.

4 – The purpose behind allowing sports is to make people become physically active and to train them for fighting and to ward off chronic disease. But playing football nowadays has no such aim. As well as the things mentioned above, it is now also taking people’s money for false purposes, let alone the danger of physical injury and the generation of hatred in the hearts of players and spectators, and the stirring up of fitnah. It has even gone so far that some spectators attack some players, which could go as far as murder, as happened in a match a few months ago. This alone is sufficient reason to disallow it. And Allaah is the source of strength. End quote.

Fataawa Ibn Ibraaheem (8/116, 117).

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