England along with eight other European nations including Wales have decided against wearing OneLove armbands after a yellow card threat from FIFA.
The captains of nine countries had planned to wear the armband to stand up for diversity and inclusion at this years World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA said any captain that wears the armband could face sporting sanctions, likely a yellow card. However, a joint statement from the Football Associations involved said they could not put their players “in a position where they could face sporting sanctions”.
#ENG and six other associations have told their captains not to wear the OneLove armband. "We can't put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including bookings," statement from FAs off England, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Wales.
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) November 21, 2022
The statement said “We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision, which we believe is unprecedented.”
In response to everything, FIFA have brought forward its own “No Discrimination” campaign, which wasn’t due to start until the quarter-finals. However, captains will now be permitted to wear a No Discrimination armband for the duration of the tournament.
Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised in Qatar, and a statement from the Football Supporters’ Association said “No country which falls short on LGBT+ rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights or any other universal human right should be given the honour of hosting a World Cup.
England get their campaign underway on Monday afternoon against Iran, and kick-off is 1pm.
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