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The teams from at least seven European countries, including France, Germany and England, issued a joint statement this Monday, November 21, in which their captains desist from using the rainbow-colored bracelet and the motto ‘One Love’, in support of the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community. The teams argued the warnings of the International Football Federation to issue yellow cards to players who carry it.
Qatar 2022, the soccer World Cup that focuses more attention on the restrictive measures of the host country than on the movements on the field of play.
This time, FIFA, which has made it clear that it is playing as the defender of the Arab nation in this tournament, managed to discourage dozens of players from wearing the ‘One Love’ bracelet, a symbol with which the athletes hoped to express their support for human rights. of the LGBTIQ+ community, in a country where being gay is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The captains of at least seven European teams: Germany, France, England, Wales, Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark reported this Monday, November 21, that they would no longer wear the bracelet against all types of discrimination, due to the threat of disciplinary measures by of the International Football Federation.
“FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play,” the teams said in a joint statement.
England, Germany, Netherlands and other European nations will not wear the OneLove armband at the World Cup because of the threat of sporting sanctions pic.twitter.com/Lwunmb9JJQ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 21, 2022
Separately, the Netherlands team also announced that its captain, Virgil van Dijk, will not wear the badge in his first World Cup match this Monday, November 21 against Senegal.
“Today, hours before the first game, FIFA has made it clear to us (officially) that the captain will receive a yellow card if he wears the One Love armband (…) We deeply regret that it was not possible to reach a reasonable solution together. We stand up 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. We don’t want the captain to start the game with a yellow card,” said the Dutch national team, promoter of the initiative, after negotiating with FIFA representatives over the last two days.
Under FA rules, players wearing equipment that is not authorized by world soccer’s governing body could receive a yellow card.
If that athlete were shown a second yellow card, they would be sent off.
“As national associations, we cannot put our players in a position where they may face sporting sanctions, including reservations, which is why we have asked captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup matches. “, the teams remarked.
This situation once again highlights the controversial bans surrounding the first World Cup in the Middle East. All this despite the fact that on November 19 the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, asked the 32 participating teams to keep politics outside the football field, while defending the tournament venue with a tirade “against hypocrisy European”.
Since the World Cup was awarded in 2010, Qatar has faced years of criticism and questioning over the abuses of low-paid migrant workers who came from different countries to build stadiums and other event facilities. sports, as well as the criminalization of the LGBTIQ+ community, discrimination and coercion against women.
FIFA assures that it is working on a campaign against discrimination
The International Football Federation defends itself and despite the determinations announced that it will advance its campaign with the bracelets with the message ‘No Discrimination’, planned for the quarterfinals, so that the players can display the badges before and in the remainder of championship.
“FIFA is an inclusive organization that wants to put football at the service of society by supporting good causes and legitimate causes, although this must be done within the framework of the competition’s regulations, which are known to all”, defended the maximum world soccer body
Infantino also reiterated words of support for the LGBTIQ+ community.
“I have discussed this issue with the highest authorities in the country. They have confirmed, and I can confirm, that everyone is welcome. If someone says otherwise, that is not the country’s opinion and certainly not FIFA’s either,” he said. .
However, the body has already deactivated the first attempt at a collective gesture by the players in favor of inclusion, by communicating the sporting sanctions to the captains who intended to wear the insignia.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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