I suppose it’s understandable: soccer’s governing body has banned English soccer fans from wearing fake chain mail, carrying shields, and donning costumes bearing the heraldry of Medieval European Crusaders who sought to free the Holy Land from the evil Muslims, during games in Qatar, an Islamic state, NBC News reports.
On the heels of banning rainbow imagery to support LGBTQ rights from the pitch–and officials barring them from the stands–as well as Qatar’s requirement that alcohol not be served to the masses during matches, FIFA is bending over backwards to meet Qatar’s authoritarian demands that fans and observers have seen as oppressive, something FIFA officials knew would be a problem when Qatar was awarded the games but brushed aside concerns because FIFA officials would make millions as Qatar attempts to reimage itself on the world stage.
FIFA officials said the imagery of Knights Templar or other Medieval symbolism worn by English fans would incite anger among the host country’s population, given that the 300,000 Qataris are Muslim, although the other 2.7 million residents of the kingdom are laborers of various religions brought in from around the world to serve the handful of oil-rich natives.