“We asked the captains not to wear the armband.” All seven European national teams taking part in the World Cup in Qatar – England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland – withdrew the decision to wear the anti-discrimination armband at the World Cup, after Fifa threatened disciplinary action such as yellow cards in case they took the field with the One Love band, a heart with the colors of the rainbow. France had announced its decision to withdraw even before arriving in Qatar.
The joint statement
“We were willing to pay fines that would normally apply for breaching kit regulations and we had a strong commitment to armband wearing,” the seven football associations said in a joint statement today. “However, we cannot put our players in situations where they could be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.”
“We are very frustrated by FIFA’s decision which we consider unprecedented – continue the European companies – we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our desire to wear the armband, and we have had no response”.
“Our players and coaches are disappointed. They are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways,” they conclude.
Fifa replicates
Fifa replies with a bureaucratic statement: «Fifa is an inclusive organization and supports all legitimate causes, such as “One Love”, but «within the framework of the rules of the competition that are known to all». «Football unites behind the “NoDiscrimination” appeal, extended to all matches, after having been initially scheduled for the quarterfinals, so that the captains of all 32 teams can carry the message on the wing”. Fifa then recalls that according to its regulations, “in the final competitions, the captain of each team must wear the armband” provided by it.
The national teams forced by the threat of a card
The decision came just hours after England’s Harry Kane, Dutchman Virgil van Dijk and Welshman Gareth Bale entered the field, the first to wear One Love armbands in today’s matches. In fact, England will take the field against Iran at 2 pm, and have also announced that they will kneel against racism before the match.
Sources of the Qatari organization have told the Guardian that the decision on the flanks comes only from Fifa and is not the result of interference from the local government.
In a separate statement, the Dutch football federation said: “Our number one priority at the World Cup is to win matches, and we don’t want the captain to start the match with a yellow card.”
Even Hugo Lloris, captain of the French national team, spoke on the subject during the press conference on the eve of France – Australia. «It is FIFA that organizes the competition and sets the rules. We players are asked to play, and to respect the Federation».
The One Love campaign
The One Love campaign was launched in Holland to promote inclusion in football and society. The choice was also a symbolic gesture in response to stereotyping and the criminalization of homosexuality in Qatar.
Fifa has instead released a statement in which it announces that it has brought forward the No Discrimination campaign scheduled for the quarterfinals to the first round. We are in favor of LGBT rights and we support the One Love campaign. But the captains by regulation must wear the armband provided by Fifa».