Qatar World Cup: BBC's Alex Scott wears rainbow armband during England vs Iran match. See why

BBC's Alex Scott chose to wear the rainbow armband while presenting England's first match coverage to show support for the LGBTQ+ people. She opted to wear the band after the England and Wales team could not wear them due to FIFA's ruling on clothing.

Effect of Alex Scott’s action

Scott's gesture became the topic of discussion as it openly criticised the host nation. It led the corporation to decide not to air the opening ceremony on Sunday; instead, the channel broadcasted a K-pop singer Jungkook and Morgan Freeman’s performance.

The BBC said that the iPlayer feed still aired the opening ceremony online for the viewers. Gary Lineker, the host, said that the BBC wanted to broadcast women's super league games; thus, it changed the schedule.


Around 8 million viewers watched the FIFA world cup's opening game, where Qatar lost to Ecuador by 2-0.



The BBC's iPlayer streaming service struggled to manage viewers' demand as the viewers substantially rose from the Monday afternoon to watch the England vs Iran match, which England won by 6-2.

FAQs:

1. Why could not England and Wales players wear armbands?
   They were informed that players would be breaching FIFA's clothing rule and might receive yellow cards for it.
2. What did Alex Scott try to convey by wearing a rainbow armband?
   Wearing a rainbow armband was a way to show solidarity with Qatar's LGBTQ+ people, as same-gender relationships in this islamic nation are illegal.