A Qatar World Cup ambassador has told German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was "damage in the mind", as the Gulf state prepares to host the global tournament in less than two weeks.
In an interview filmed at Doha and to be screened later, former Qatari international Khalid Salman addressed the issue of homosexuality, which is illegal in the conservative Muslim country.
Some football 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.
The country expects more than one million visitors for the World Cup.
"They have to accept our rules here," Salman said. "[Homosexuality] is haram.
"You know what haram [forbidden] means?"
When asked why it was haram, Salman said: "I am not a strict Muslim, but why is it haram... because it is damage in the mind."
The interview was then immediately stopped by an accompanying official. When contacted by Reuters, Qatar's World Cup organisers declined to comment.
World football ruling body FIFA also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Obviously, these comments are terrible," said German interior minister Nancy Faeser, who visited Qatar a week ago.
Faeser says she had received security guarantees from the local interior minister and prime minister, and that this applied to the protection of homosexual fans, as well as against possible racist or anti-Semitic attacks.
"I have no new indications from him [Qatari interior minister] now that anything should have changed in this regard," Faeser said.
Organisers have repeatedly said everyone is welcome in Qatar during the World Cup.
Qatar is the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup, but the small nation has come under intense pressure in recent years for its treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws.
The country's human rights record has led to calls for teams and officials to boycott the tournament.
Reuters
