M'sian Man Arrested In Qatar For Wearing Kedah FC Jersey As It Resembles The LGBTQ+ Flag
The football fan had to Google and show security photos of the Kedah Darul Aman FC's jersey.
By Aqasha Nalani — 14 Dec 2022, 11:24 AM
A Malaysian man was recently denied entry to Qatar's Al-Byat Stadium because he was wearing a football jersey with elements of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (LGBTQ+) community
The man, Zulfadli Ahmad Tajudin, told Dari Tepi Padang that he flew all the way from Muar, Johor, to experience the 2022 FIFA World Cup but was left disappointed by the ordeal he had to face with security.
Zulfadli was detained while wearing a Kedah Darul Aman Football Club (FC) jersey with Chenang Bay written on it and a colourful checkered design.
Zufadli Ahmad Tajudin wearing the Kedah Darul Aman FC's 2020 jersey.
Image via Dari Tepi Padang (Facebook)Zulfadli, who initially had no idea why he was being questioned by the stadium's security officials, said that he was detained for over 30 minutes
The security then informed him that they suspect him of supporting the LGBTQ+ community due to the jersey he was wearing.
"At first, I didn't understand why I was being investigated, but they later told me that they were confused by my jersey and suspected me of supporting the LGBTQ+ community," he explained.
Zulfadli went on to say that the officials photographed his jersey before sending the images to the stadium's management to interrogate him further.
In Qatar, homosexuality is considered a serious crime, with those suspected of engaging in same-sex relationships facing up to three years in prison, reported Sky News.
To prove that the jersey was legitimate and that he was not representing the LGBTQ+ community, the football fan had to Google and show security photos of the Kedah Darul Aman FC's jersey
After seeing the photos Zulfadli had shown, security was still unsatisfied with his answer and asked him to wait for a response from stadium management.
"Thank God, after a while, the management let me go and gave me permission to watch the football game that night," he said.
"I was concerned that I had squandered my money on the tickets solely because of this jersey."
Zulfadli also said that he would not blame the security personnel because they were simply following the procedure established by the organising committee.
