It's hard to imagine a more fraught combination for what was supposed to be a fun Friday night: Seattle's Pride celebration will feature a World Cup match on June 26 between Iran, where homosexuality is punishable by death, and Egypt, where homosexual activity is punishable by up to three years in prison. When FIFA's schedulers announced the Pride Match pairing after December's draw, it felt a little like a sick joke. The Egyptian Football Association has said it will reject 'in absolute terms' any signs or symbols of gay pride. Mehdi Taj, the head of the Iranian football federation, told news agencies that the game assignment was an 'irrational move,' and just about everyone was, for once, on Iran's side. Iran's role in the entire tournament has since become a much thornier dilemma: Whether the country will participate at all will remain in doubt until 11 men take the field for their opening game against New Zealand, scheduled for June 15 in Los Angeles. In March, after the United...
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