UEFA has refused a request from Munich’s Mayor for a stadium to be lit in rainbow colours ahead of Germany’s Euro 2020 clash against Hungary.
UEFA says the decision was consistent with being a “politically and religiously neutral organisation”.
“UEFA, through its statutes, is a politically and religiously neutral organisation. Given the political context of this specific request, a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament, UEFA must decline this request,” it said.
The Mayor says he wants to highlight recent legislation in Hungary that bans school materials that promote homosexuality and gender change.
“I would have been happy if the stadium had been lit up in these colours,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said.
On the other side, Hungarian national team goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, says “UEFA made this decision, we have no say in it,” Gulacsi said. “We focus on the match now, not this.”
Germany’s Europe Minister Michael Roth told reporters ahead of a meeting with European Union counterparts in Luxembourg on Tuesday that Hungary’s law violates EU values.
The Allianz Arena, which is also home to Bayern Munich, allows the exterior and roofing to be lit up in all colours.
