Captains of England, Wales and other European countries will not wear the “OneLove” armband in Qatar due to the threat of players being booked.
In September, it was announced that captains of 10 European nations – England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands would wear the “OneLove” armband at the Nations League games and the 2022 Qatar World Cup to promote diversity and inclusion.
Meanwhile, according to a statement by those countries’ associations on Monday, the armband which represents all heritages, backgrounds, genders and sexual identities – would not be worn in Qatar.
“FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play,” the statement added.
“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 a situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.”
In response, FIFA has brought forward its own “No Discrimination” campaign, which had been due to start from the quarter-finals. Captains will now be permitted to wear a No Discrimination armband for the duration of the tournament.
