Alex Scott is a BBC Sports pundit and is currently reporting on the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The English news personality recently made headlines for sporting a rainbow armband at England match with Iran. Alex was a former football player who represented Arsenal as a right-back in the Women’s Super Leagues. Following her time in the field, she continued from the sidelines as a pundit on the sport and has covered the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Women’s World Cup too.
This year’s World Cup has made the news multiple times. Qatar came in for a lot of criticism for vigilant surveillance of women’s apparel at the games and banning alcoholic beverages. The Gulf country still holds an orthodox perspective in matters of religion and women. They have certainly reflected it in their precise set of guidelines to be followed by fans at the games. It seems like Alex is putting up a peaceful act of resistance to these policies by wearing the ‘one love’ armband. Here’s how.
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Alex Scott’s Rainbow Armband Significance
On Monday, while covering England’s first match in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Alex Scott wore a rainbow armband with a white heart and the number one in its middle. The armband, the representative of the LGBTQ+ community, was a silent yet bold statement against the controversial norms of Qatar. The Arab country is among many others that maintain same-sex relationships as illegal. The English team was warned that its players could receive a yellow card for violating the host country’s rules. Therefore the decision to wear the one love accessory was taken up by Alex. Up until recent years, she had not disclosed her sexuality as being attracted to both men and women. Therefore her minor disobedience at the games might be a close cause to her.
“It’s the most controversial World Cup in history and a ball hasn’t even been kicked,” said the BBC host Gary Lineker. This stunt was pulled off by Alex after the country decided not to air the opening ceremony of the Cup. The opening ceremony is one of the most coveted opportunities for celebrities and this year was presented by K-pop star, Jung Kook and actor Morgan Freeman. The Guardian reports that the event was omitted from being aired due to a broadcast criticizing migrant workers and the discussion of the ban on homosexuality in Qatar.
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Alex Scott: Early Life And Football Career
Alexandra Virina Scott, popularly known as Alex Scott, was born on 14 October 1984 in East London. She attended Langdon Park School which was given the status of a Sports College. She signed up with the club Arsenal in 1992 when she was 8 years old. Playing under the wing of Arsenal, the team won the Women’s Premier League in football and FA Women’s Cup. With her help, the team had an undefeated title the whole year and even won the UEFA Women’s Cup.
In international games, she appeared consecutively for four UEFA Women’s Championships. She also played for three FIFA Women’s World Cups. She won a silver in the 2009 UEFA Cup and a bronze in the 2015 FIFA World Cup. In the 2012 London Olympics, her team stood fifth.
On September 2017 she retired from the international games and focused on a more commercial path. She signed up with BBC Sports and in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, she became the first woman pundit to cover the matches. In 2011, Alex founded Alex Scott Academy in partnership with Puma and Kingston College to improve the game of girls aged 16-19 years. In 2017, she became a Member of the Order of the British Empire. Scott shared in her autobiography that she was a victim of domestic violence by her father when she was little.
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