Euro 2020: UEFA refuses Allianz Arena rainbow illumination for Germany vs Hungary match

UEFA has declined a request from the mayor of Munich to lit up the Allianz Arena in rainbow colours for the Euro 2020 Group F match between Germany and Hungary.

UEFA said that it received a request from the mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, on Monday as he wanted to light up the stadium in the rainbow colours to protest against a new law in Hungary, that bans the circulation of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change.

The Allianz Arena, the home stadium of Bayern Munich, is designed to allow the external area and roof to be lit up in various colours.

The decision comes after UEFA dropped an investigation into Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer wearing a rainbow coloured armband in the Euro 2020 matches against Portugal and France.

ALSO READ: Football: Doubts hang over Spain ahead of 'do or die' game against Slovakia

The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was wearing the armband, seen as a symbol of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, during Pride Month in June.

However, UEFA has now said it could not accept the request and proposed alternative dates for the Allianz Arena to be lit up in rainbow colours.

Statement from UEFA:

"UEFA has yesterday received a request from the mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, on behalf of the city council, to have the arena in Munich illuminated in rainbow colours at the upcoming UEFA EURO 2020 group stage match between Germany and Hungary.

"In this letter, the mayor outlines the reasoning behind this request to be a political decision which has been taken by the Hungarian parliament.

"UEFA understands that the intention is also to send a message to promote diversity and inclusion - a cause, which UEFA has been supporting for many years having joined forces with European clubs, national teams and their players, launching campaigns and plenty of activities all over Europe to promote the ethos that football should be open to everyone and consequently UEFA has proposed alternative dates for the illumination which align better with existing events.

"UEFA is determined to play its part in positive change and believes that discrimination can only be fought in close collaboration with others.

"As European football's governing body, UEFA recognises it has an obligation to unite and coordinate the efforts of fans and institutions across Europe - because it is everybody's responsibility to rid discrimination from the game.

"Very recently, in the build up towards the UEFA EURO 2020 tournament, UEFA has kicked off a new campaign called 'Sign for an Equal Game' encouraging fans, players, clubs, national associations and other football stakeholders to join the fight against discrimination. Sign for an Equal Game forms the latest instalment of the Equal Game campaign, which has run for the past four seasons and which aims to create positive social impact under UEFA's overarching value of Respect. Its main purpose is to make people aware that football is for everyone, no matter who they are, where they are from and how they play.

"Racism, homophobia, sexism, and all forms of discrimination are a stain on our societies - and represent one of the biggest problems faced by the game today. Discriminatory behaviour has marred both matches themselves and, outside the stadiums, the online discourse around the sport we love.

"However 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.

"UEFA has nevertheless proposed to the city of Munich to illuminate the stadium with the rainbow colours on either 28 June - the Christopher Street Liberation Day - or between 3 and 9 July which is the Christopher Street Day week in Munich."