Security staff told a BBC cameraman he couldn’t enter a World Cup ground because he was wearing a watch with a rainbow strap.

BBC sports reporter Natalie Pirks said her cameraman was stopped from getting into the Al Bayt stadium in Qatar after they spotted him wearing the pride-coloured watch.

After talking on a hotline set up for people with issues entering the stadium, eventually they got past security.

Natalie Tweeted: ‘Just arrived at the Al Bayt stadium for England’s game and my cameraman, wearing the rainbow coloured watch strap his son got him, was stopped by security and refused entry.

‘Clearly the message from FIFA is STILL not getting through,’ she added.

It is the latest backlash Qatari officials have faced after denying supporters entry into grounds for wearing Rainbow coloured items.

Earlier this week American journalist Grant Wahl said he was detained because he was wearing a T-shirt displaying an LGBTQ+ rainbow.

Mr Wahl said a security guard refused to let him into the stadium when he tried to enter to watch the USA-Wales game last week.

Qatari authorities also took away a Brazillian flag from supporters after confusing it for a pride flag outside of  the Lusail Stadium.

On Monday, Qatar guards confiscated rainbow-coloured items from fans ahead of Wales’s 1-1 draw with the USA.

World Cup fans, who had previously been told they were allowed to take rainbow-themed bucket hats and flags into the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, were shocked.

Welsh fans had previously been ordered by Qatari officials to remove the rainbow-themed items before entering the stadium for their opening game against the United States on Monday.

But the Football Association of Wales (FAW) said that FIFA had reassured them that Qatari officials would not stop their fans from wearing the hats, which are a symbol of support for members of the LGBTQ community.

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Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride

This year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness for the community this Pride Month.

And we’ve got some great names on board to help us, too. From a list of famous guest editors taking over the site for a week that includes Rob Rinder, Nicola Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart-Simpson, John Whaite, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranj, as well as the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi offering their insights. 

During Pride Month, which runs from 1 – 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also be supporting Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community during times of conflict, and youth homelessness charity AKT. To find out more about their work, and what you can do to support them, click here.

For Metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.

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