Qatari officials have seized a Brazilian fan’s flag after mistaking it for the LGBTQ rainbow. The altercation took place outside the Lusail Stadium, Doha, after Saudi Arabia shocked the football world by beating Argentina yesterday.

The fans, known as the Samba Boys, were carrying the Pernambuco state flag outside the stadium when they were approached by officials. The flag has a rainbow on it, but officials thought it was an LGBTQ flag and then confiscated the item, allegedly throwing it to the ground and stomping on it.

The flag was being held by Brazilian journalist Victor Pereira and a friend of his. He claimed Qatari officials confiscated his cellphone until he agreed to delete a video he made of the incident. However, he managed to film a few more scenes of the clash in the stadium with Qatari officials.

Fomos abordados por conta da bandeira de Pernambuco, que tem um arco-íris e acharam que era a bandeira LGBT. Tomaram o meu celular e só me devolveram quando deletei o vídeo que tinha. pic.twitter.com/7X2oal8bq1

— Victor Pereira (@ovictorpereira) November 22, 2022

In a viral clip seen more than a million times on Twitter, Pereira says: “Guys, I’m nervous, I’m actually shaking because we had a Pernambuco flag. I’m shaking because I got attacked by some Qatari officials, people with that outfit, but also police officers.

“They approached the women thinking it was an LGBT flag, but in fact, it’s just the Pernambuco flag. I went to film it and they took my phone. They just gave it back to me after forcing me to delete the video.

“The guy took the Pernambuco flag, threw it on the ground and stomped on it. My reaction was to take out my phone and record absolutely everything.”

In Qatar, same-sex relationships are punishable by imprisonment or death. The Conservative Party has avoided shining a light on LGBTQ+ rights, which have been at the center of the World Cup controversy.

FIFA officials recently stepped in and ordered Qatari officials to stop forcing fans to remove their rainbow-colored hats when entering stadiums.

Eventually, bystanders intervened and calmed the situation after the flag incident. Pereira said Qatari officials realized their mistake and later apologized.

“They said they had no right to do what they did and if I wanted to I could report him inside because we were close to two towers that have cameras and the guy can be identified. I’m trying to do that but it’s all very complicated.” . The incident was reported to FIFA officials.

This is the problem in the world, I don't ask the @qatar Gov to know about Brazilian state flags but you should ask about it and learn about other countries before going after an official flag! BTW, i think #LGBT symbols should be allowed in an International event. https://t.co/KZILX4F1k5

— Vico! Telecom 5G LTE CBRS WISP Private Networks (@vfiorese_) November 22, 2022