London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, May 09, 2025

Seven European World Cup captains ditch OneLove armband following FIFA pressure

Seven European World Cup captains ditch OneLove armband following FIFA pressure

The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark will not wear 'OneLove' armbands at the World Cup under pressure from FIFA, their associations said in a joint statement on Monday.

FIFA has threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing the multi-coloured armband which was introduced to support diversity and inclusion.

England captain Harry Kane spoke on Sunday of his desire to wear the armband in Monday's Group B opener against Iran.

"FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play," the statement said, hours before England's match against Iran was due to kick off in Doha.

"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."

The move attracted swift and scathing criticism from groups representing the LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community.

"More than disappointing that @FIFAWorldCup and @FIFAcom silence & deflection means European captains face starting games with yellow cards for trying to highlight issues around human rights," 3LionsPride, a group representing England fans, said.

"Their basic rights to freedom of speech & expression being crushed by FIFA."

England's Football Supporters' Association (FSA) said it felt contempt for FIFA.

"To paraphrase FIFA president Gianni Infantino -- today LGBT+ football supporters and their allies will feel angry," it said.

"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."

The nations' joint statement said they were "very frustrated" by the FIFA decision which came days after president Gianni Infantino said "today I feel gay" during a long monologue aimed at media criticising the decision to host the World Cup in a country where homosexuality remains illegal.

"We believe (the decision) 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," the statement said.

"Our players and coaches are disappointed -- they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways."


UNPRECEDENTED DECISION


German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf said that although FIFA's decision was unprecedented, it was unfair for the players to shoulder the responsibility for any potential consequences if they decided to wear it anyway.

"We are witnessing a case with no precedent in World Cup history," Neuendorf said. "I will not carry the confrontation created by FIFA onto the back of (Germany team captain) Manuel Neuer."

The German FA is the world's largest federation with more than seven million active members.

Amnesty International said FIFA was failing to uphold its own values and responsibilities.

"Sport does not happen in a vacuum and these are issues on which FIFA should be leading, not cracking down on," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty's Head of Economic and Social Justice.

"Agreements on armbands, and better protections for LGBTI communities, should have been reached a long time ago. We applaud the courage of teams and players who have spoken out about human rights and we hope they continue to do so."

Wales captain Gareth Bale had been planning to wear the OneLove armband against the United States later on Monday as had Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk. Germany's Neuer had said days ago he would wear it in Wednesday's game against Japan.


HEAVY HEART


The Dutch FA said it had taken the decision with a heavy heart ahead of the Netherlands match against Senegal on Monday.

"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 ... and as a team had to decide to abandon our plan," the KNVB said in a statement.

"This is completely against the spirit of our sport, which unites millions of people.

"Together with other countries involved we will critically look at our relation with FIFA."

FIFA launched its own captain's armband campaign ahead of the tournament to promote different causes for each round.

On Monday it said had brought forward its own "No Discrimination" from the planned quarter-finals stage in order that all 32 captains will have the opportunity to wear its own armband during the tournament.

"This is in line with Article 13.8.1 of the FIFA Equipment Regulations, which state: 'For FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each Team must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA'," the world governing body said in a statement.

According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA".

Former England player Stan Collymore said Kane should make a stand and wear the armband.

"Wear it skipper. Take everything thrown at you. It's about more than football," he said on Twitter.

England confirmed on Sunday they will take the knee before kickoff, a ritual they have observed to support equality and anti-racism messages.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×