The national soccer team will wear the LGBT crest at the World Cup in Qatar

The official crest of the national soccer team is swapping out its usual colors (red and blue) for the colors of the LGBTQ flag for the World Cup in Qatar as a show of support for this group and as part of the Be the Change initiative promoted by the United States Soccer Federation. The Doha regime is known for its hostility to the LGBTQ community, among others. National soccer coach Gregg Berhalter noted that "It’s important to bring awareness to these issues." A few days ago, the coach announced the list of 26 players who will play in the World Cup.

The United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) posted the crest along with the One Nation slogan on its Twitter account. "We’re a group that believes in inclusivity, and we’ll continue to project that going forward," added Sean Johnson, the national team's goalkeeper at a press conference.

The purpose of wearing this crest is to "promote a spirit of inclusion and welcome to all fans from around the world." However, the crest will not be worn on the field during the game but it will be used in the gathering areas for U.S. fans.

Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host a World Cup, in a regime with very strict laws and a long history of human rights violations. As Daily Mail recalls, many players "have raised concerns over the rights of fans travelling to the event, especially LGBT individuals and women, whom rights groups say Qatari laws discriminate against."

They are not alone in expressing their concern. Several soccer teams and sports brands have protested against the location for this year’s tournament. One of them, the brand Hummel, decided to remove its logo from the Danish team's jerseys as a symbol of protest against the Qatari regime. The Norwegian team wore T-shirts with the slogan Human Rights on and off the pitch as a show of solidarity.