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IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27, 2011

As FIFA kicks off Womens World Cup, AllOut.org tells world soccer body: Time to issue a red card to homophobic witch-hunt by Nigerian coach
Campaign page: www.allout.org/fifa Contact: Joseph Huff-Hannon (AllOut.org). [email protected] +1 212 533 4114 The coach of the Nigerian womens soccer team made headlines a week ago when she told the New York Times that she had dealt with the big problem of lesbianism on the team. One of the coachs colleagues also recently bragged to the press about firing players from the team, not because they were not good players, but because they were lesbians. With Nigeria set to face off with Germany on Thursday in the Womens World Cup, AllOut.org is calling upon FIFA to live up to its own ethics guidelines, by publicly condemning this systematic discrimination, and taking the necessary steps to end homophobia in the league. In less than twenty- four hours after the Womens World Cup kick-off game on Sunday, over 30,000 people from nearly every country in the world have already signed a petition demanding FIFA take swift action at http://www.allout.org/fifa FIFA has a truly admirable track record of challenging racism and discrimination, says Andre Banks, co-founder of AllOut.org. Now its time to bring the beautiful game in to the 21st century. FIFA can use its hard-earned moral authority to make sure that homophobia also no longer has a place on the playing field. "Like anyone else, LGBT people have the right to participate in sport without fear of discrimination on the grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity," says Mr Rowland Jide Macaulay, Co-Chair of Pan Africa International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex Association (ILGA). "We condemn the action of the Nigerian Football Association in its attempt to bring hatred to the passionate games of football." FIFA, soccers world governing body, is not just a global authority on good sportsmanship it has also played an inspiring role in promoting social justice and equality. Besides launching an ambitious global Say No to Racism campaign in recent years, the association also includes in its mission statement a desire to use the game in, overcoming social and cultural obstacles for women with the ultimate aim of improving womens standing in society. Unfortunately the Nigerian Football Federations homophobic witch-hunt stands in direct contradiction of those aims. Luckily in the battle against bigotry and discrimination, FIFA has real moral authority, and they can use that authority to take a clear stand against this outrageous discrimination. Two major global athletic associations, the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA), and the Federation of Gay Games (FGG), have endorsed the campaign:

Sport can be, must be, a power for good. We must make sure that every athlete has the right to be part of sports mission for a better world, regardless of sex, race, religion or sexual orientation, says Klaus Heusslein, Co-President of IGLFA. The right to participate in sport is a human right, a right for everybody, for all Nigerians, for all women, for all whomever they love. The truest values of sport are those of sport for all. This means sport in which everyone is welcome and everyone is safe, whatever their sexual identity and sexual orientation, says Emy Ritt, co-president of the FGG. The actions of the Nigerian team are contrary to our values of participation, inclusion and personal best for all, which should be the values of FIFA and sportspeople everywhere. Thats why AllOut.org, a community of 500,000 people in every country in the world, is asking FIFA president Joseph Blatter to play by FIFAs own rules, and investigate the harassment and termination of players suspected of being gay. Blatter needs to condemn this blatant discrimination, as well as making moves to include sexual orientation and gender identity in to FIFAs anti-discrimination policy. The game will be better for it. AllOut.org is a global campaign organization of over half a million people from 190 countries around the world dedicated to LGBT equality. A movement working online and on the ground to build a world in which everyone can live freely and be embraced for who they are, All Out is adding global people power to the historic fight for LGBT equality. Find out more at: www.allout.org