Qatar's ambassador to Germany has been urged to abolish his country's death penalty for homosexuality at a human rights congress hosted by the German soccer federation.
Monday's congress came two months before the Middle East country hosts the World Cup.
Fan representative Dario Minden switched to English to directly address the Qatari ambassador, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, at the congress in Frankfurt.
"I'm a man and I love men," Minden said. "I do -- please don't be shocked -- have sex with other men. This is normal. So please get used to it, or stay out of football. Because the most important rule in football is football is for everyone. It doesn't matter if you're lesbian, if you're gay. It's for everyone. For the boys. For the girls. And for everyone in between."
Minden continued: "So abolish the death penalty. Abolish all of the penalties regarding sexual and gender identity. The rule that football is for everyone is so important. We cannot allow you to break it, no matter how rich you are. You are more than welcome to join the international football community and also, of course, to host a big tournament. But in sports, it is how it is. You have to accept the rules."
Al Thani was to be given a chance to respond later, though his comments were to remain off-the-record. Only the opening 90 minutes of the federation's congress was broadcast to the public and no journalists were invited to the event.
Federation spokesman Steffen Simon said it was not the organisation's decision to hold the majority of the congress off camera, but "we received a clear request from some participants that they would like to discuss these matters internally with us. They did not want to discuss in public. We respected that."
Before Minden spoke, Al Thani had complained to the congress that the issue of human rights was diverting attention from the tournament.
"We all care about human rights. But I would have enjoyed (it) more if I saw some concentration not only on just one subject, but the enjoyment of football and the football effect on people around the world," Al Thani said.
"Yes, we are not perfect. We are not claiming we are perfect, but it's a journey that we will write."
Qatar's laws and society have come under increased scrutiny in the past decade.
Under the penal code the maximum penalty is seven years' imprisonment but Qatar also operates an interpretation of Sharia law that criminalises male homosexuality with the death penalty a possible sanction.
German soccer federation president Bernd Neuendorf called on the Qatari government to establish, "without any ifs or buts," working centres where migrants can go in the event of employer violations, and a compensation fund for the relations of workers who died or were injured on World Cup construction sites.
"The last demand for the fund is also addressed to FIFA," Neuendorf said.
Australian Associated Press
