FIFA has told the World Cup teams that any players wearing the One Love armbands in support of the LGBTQ+ community would be sanctioned.
The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland had intended to wear the OneLove rainbow armbands to promote diversity and inclusion at the World Cup.
In a statement on Monday, England’s soccer governing body the Football Association and its Welsh equivalent joined the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and Belgium to confirm that threats of sporting sanctions from FIFA left them no choice but to abandon the One Love campaign gesture they announced in September.
“We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play,” the soccer associations said in a joint statement. Three of the teams — England, Wales and the Netherlands — were scheduled to play Monday.
The statement also said the teams are “very frustrated with FIFA, and believe this is unprecedented,” before noting that they will show support “in other ways.”
On Saturday, FIFA announced its own armband initiative, suggesting players wear different armbands for each match, featuring what critics consider milquetoast slogans such as “Football unites the world,” “Share the meal,” and “Bring the moves.”
The OneLove campaign was originally conceived by the Dutch soccer team, and at first 10 European teams signed up for it in September. They agreed that their captains would wear a rainbow armband to send a message against discrimination and promote inclusion.
Qatar has come under scrutiny in the lead-up to the tournament over its approach to human rights, including concerns over the conditions of migrant workers and the conservative Persian Gulf state’s stance on LGBTQ people. Sex between men is prohibited in Qatar and punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to a recent U.S. State Department report.
