European teams abandon One Love armband protest at 2022 World Cup in Qatar after FIFA pressure
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ByEurosport
Updated 21/11/2022 at 15:40 GMT
The European countries who were going to wear the One Love armband at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have confirmed that they have decided to reverse that decision. A statement from the Dutch FA said that the decision by FIFA to introduce yellow cards for wearing the armband has meant that England, Wales, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands have reversed course.
European teams abandon 'One Love' armband protest under FIFA pressure
England, Wales, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands will not wear One Love armbands at the World Cup.
The armband - which included a "heart containing colours representative of all backgrounds" - was proposed by the UEFA Working Group in support of inclusion and diversity. Same-sex relationships are criminalised in Qatar.
The decision to not wear the armband comes after it was confirmed that captains who wore it would face disciplinary action in the form of a yellow card.
In its statement announcing the decision, the English FA said that it contacted FIFA in September to notify the governing body of its intention to wear the armband, but received no response.
On Monday, FIFA released a statement stating that its 'No Discrimination' campaign would now start during the group stages after it was originally planned for the quarter-finals. The statement added that messaging opportunities for the campaign would be provided to the participating teams via captains’ armbands and that as per FIFA regulations "the captain of each team must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA."
The Dutch FA - which began the One Love campaign prior to Euro 2020 - was the first to release a statement before a joint one from the Football Associations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland.
After the announcement, the Football Supporters’ Association expressed its "contempt" for FIFA.
"Today we feel betrayed. Today we feel contempt for an organisation that has shown its true values by giving the yellow card to players and the red card to tolerance," began the statement.
"Never again should a World Cup be handed out solely on the basis of money and infrastructure.
"No country which falls short on LGBT+ rights, women’s rights, worker’s rights or any other universal human right should be given the honour of hosting a World Cup."
FA statement in full
"FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.
"We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.
"We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented – we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response.
"Our players and coaches are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways."
Dutch FA statement in full
"The KNVB and the players of the Dutch national team would like to spread a positive message with One Love, for connection and against all forms of discrimination. We want to do that at the World Cup together with England, Wales, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark.
"The UEFA Working Group, of which the KNVB is a part, asked FIFA on September 19 to embrace the One Love captain's armband. Today, hours before the first game, it has been made clear to us from FIFA (officially) that the captain will receive a yellow card if he wears the One Love captain's armband. We deeply regret that it was not possible to reach a reasonable solution together.
"We stand for the One Love message and will continue to spread it, but our number one priority at the World Cup is to win the games. Then you don't want the captain to start the match with a yellow card. That is why it is with a heavy heart that we as a UEFA Working Group, KNVB and as a team had to decide to abandon our plan.
"As previously announced, the KNVB would have paid a possible fine for wearing the One Love captain's armband, but that FIFA wants to punish us on the field for this has never been seen. This goes against the spirit of our sport that connects millions of people. Together with the other countries involved, we will take a critical look at our relationship with FIFA in the coming period."
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