Love Always Wins in Defiance of FIFA's Shameful Sanctions on Players who Wear OneLove Armbands at the World Cup in Qatar

Nov. 29, 2022

With a passionate belief that LGBTQ+ rights are also human rights, last week the captains of seven European teams were planning to wear a OneLove armband at the World Cup to take a stand against homophobia in Qatar. However, under pressure from conservative movements, at the 11th hour FIFA threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing it. 

Unsurprisingly the world has been up in arms ever since, even prompting the German team to cover their mouths in protest during their team photograph ahead of their opening World Cup match against Japan. In the 51st minute of the game between Portugal and Uruguay, a pitch invader ran out onto the pitch holding an LGBT rainbow flag. The game was abruptly stopped and he was escorted away.

On the world’s biggest stage, football has missed an open goal when it comes to showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

So, how can that famous rainbow that says so much get onto the pitch without falling foul of FIFA’s rules?

Copenhagen agency Worth Your While, along with Copenhagen Pride have re-launched their 2021 Euro campaign "Proud Pitch" an instagram filter which can turn every football pitch (or tv screen) at the World Cup into a rainbow flag, and a symbol of support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Instructions:

• Search for "Proud Pitch" in the Instagram filter gallery 
• Point your phone towards your TV or the pitch
• Use two fingers to place the rainbow colours over the pitch
• Record and share your Instagram story with the world using the hashtag #lovealwayswins

Through Instagram's Spark AR platform this hack utilises live tracking technology to create a mask that removes all green colours and replaces them with a rainbow flag. This allows fans to simply place the rainbow flag on the field, and film a sequence from the game, the filter does the rest and automatically masks out the players so they are running around on a rainbow pitch.

Copenhagen Pride spokesperson, Lars Henriksen said:

"Human rights are not politics. There are two positions: Either all people have the right to rights - or the opposite. And if you stand in opposition, you are on the wrong side of history."

 

Executive Creative Director, Worth Your While, Lukas Lund added:

"The "Proud Pitch" is a great example of a long idea that lives beyond a traditional campaign cycle. Even though we originally conceived this for The Euros, it has gained an even greater relevance with what’s unfolding right now - and is an enduring tool that can be used to raise a flag about the current situation."