The bracelet in favor of LGTBI rights, worn by Harry Kane. /
FIFA threatened the players with seeing a yellow card if they carried the distinction in favor of LGTBI rights, and the federations have finally given in
FIFA gets away with it once again. The great football body has prohibited the federations from using the ‘One Love’ bracelet that represents the fight for LGTBI rights during the World Cup in Qatar. Harry Kane, Gareth Bale, Virgil Van Dijk and the captains who decided to wear the distinction would risk being shown a yellow card at the start of the match, a high risk for many of these players.
On the morning of this Monday, the federations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland have published a joint statement making it clear that they cannot risk their captains being penalized for wearing an armband and that, therefore, , they will not carry it during the World Cup in Qatar.
They also point out that “we are very frustrated by FIFA’s decision, which we consider to be inappropriate.” “Our players and coaches are very disappointed, as they are great supporters of inclusion and we will show support in another way,” they stand out at the end of the statement.
Statements of the protagonists before the statement
One of the first to announce that he would wear the ‘One Love’ bracelet would be Manuel Neuer. The German goalkeeper commented before a training session with his team that he would use it: “This is a new experiment for all of us. This tournament is a great experiment. We are not afraid of the consequences.”
Van Dijk also made it clear before knowing the joint statement of the federations that he would wear the rainbow bracelet, although he qualified that “if I get a card for it, then we would have to discuss it because I don’t like playing with yellow.”
Kane and the English federation were also among the first to support the LGTBI collective during the controversial World Cup in Qatar. Despite the fact that the captain was willing to take the risk of taking a card, he finally also joins the statement from the different federations and will not carry the rainbow distinction either.
