[The Epoch Times, November 21, 2022](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian) The World Cup (FIFA World Cup) kicked off in Qatar on November 20, but another thing that happened during the event attracted media attention .
Under pressure from FIFA (FIFA), seven countries including England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark issued a joint statement on Monday (November 21), announcing that their captains had given up wearing the “Same Love” (One Love) rainbow armband decision.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, and same-sex sex is punishable by death in the country.
FIFA said it would issue a yellow card to players for wearing the rainbow armband, which is in solidarity with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community.
The joint statement issued by these teams stated: “FIFA has made it very clear that if our captains wear that kind of armband on the field, they will impose sports punishment.” Only hours.
“We cannot put our players in a situation where they could face sporting sanctions, including a yellow card, so we have asked captains not to attempt to wear armbands at FIFA World Cup matches,” the statement said.
According to FIFA regulations, the team’s equipment must not carry any political, religious or personal slogans, remarks or images, and during the FIFA finals, the captain of each team “must wear the captain’s armband stipulated by FIFA.” .
According to regulations, if a player wears a jersey that is not approved by the agency, he may be shown a yellow card. If the player is then shown a second yellow card, he will be sent off.
The move has prompted jump-starts from LGBT groups saying “their fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression has been suppressed by FIFA”, such as England’s Football Supporters Association (FSA) saying “we feel betrayed today”.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#