England, Germany and five other European teams will not be donning the One Love armbands at this year’s World Cup in Qatar after FIFA threatened to introduce sanctions.
The football captains were expected to wear the bands to show solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community, especially given how homosexuality is still illegal in Qatar.
However, a statement shared on the 21st of November said that: ‘FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play.’
A yellow card can be shown to any players wearing kit that is not authorised by football’s world governing body.
The armbands were expected to be worn by the likes of England captain Harry Kane, German captain Manuel Neuer and Welsh counterpart Gareth Bale to promote inclusivity.
The federations in question said that they can’t put 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.’
#MaltaDaily