Paddy Power is donating £10,000 to LGBT+ causes for every goal Russia scores
A host of celebrities are backing the campaign.
The Russian World Cup team will be inadvertently funding LGBT+ causes as betting company Paddy Power has said it will donate £10,000 for each goal the team scores during the tournament.
Russia has created a hostile environment for people in the LGBT+ community, bringing in a law against “homosexual propaganda” in 2013. The law penalises advocacy for LGBT+ rights.
The cash will be donated to Attitude magazine’s Foundation to fund efforts to make football more inclusive.
The campaign has been backed by a number of notable people from the LGBT+ community, including swimmer Mark Foster, ex-Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and choreographer Louie Spence.
In case Russia fail to score any goals, the betting company has committed to donating a minimum of £50,000 to the Foundation.
The Foundation says it will use the money to challenge LGBT+ prejudice on and off the field, support footballers and those in the game in coming out, fund educational programmes in schools and colleges and make grass-roots teams safe spaces for LGBT+ players.
The campaign associated with the donations is using #RainbowRussians to spread the word.