The seven European teams that wanted to wear an inclusive captain’s armband in Qatar, against discrimination, renounced its use on Monday, under the threat of a disciplinary file during the 2022 World Cup.
“FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if captains wear armbands on the pitch. As national federations, we cannot ask our players to risk sporting sanctions, including yellow cards,” the seven federations said in a statement. set.
England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland exempted their captains from wearing the armband, facing the possibility of sanctions, but said they were “frustrated” by the inflexibility shown by FIFA.
Initially part of the ‘One Love’ initiative, France had already announced, through their captain, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, that they would not be wearing the armband.
“We were willing to pay fines, in case of non-compliance with the equipment regulations, we committed to the use of this bracelet, but we cannot put our players in a scenario where they can be warned or even expelled,” he said. the seven federations.
Since being chosen to host the 2022 soccer World Cup, which kicked off on Sunday and runs through December 18, Qatar has been the target of various criticisms, particularly regarding its positions on human rights, the issues LGBTQ+ and the abuse of migrant workers.
Given this context, some federations came together in September in their desire to express themselves with the ‘One Love’ initiative, a defender of equality, in which apologists for the symbolic use of a bracelet with the inscription and colors of the rainbow.
FIFA, which has remained silent on the matter, opted on Saturday to present its own captains’ armbands, with more general messages such as “Save the planet”, “Education for all” or “No discrimination”.
This Monday, the highest soccer body announced that the captains would use the “non-discrimination” message from the quarterfinals of the competition.
Source: TSF
