Arjen Lubach starts a campaign on television against the ‘extremely cowardly’ KNVB
Friday, October 13, 2023 at 8:15 AM
In his program De Avondshow with Arjen Lubach on NPO 1, Arjen Lubach lashed out at the KNVB in a (partly) satirical manner. The comedian criticizes the decision of the Dutch Football Association to leave the choice of whether or not to wear the OneLove captaincy to the clubs themselves. Lubach has devised an alternative captaincy for the KNVB: the ‘WatLaf band’.
Two seasons ago, the captains of Feyenoord (Orkun Kökçü) and Excelsior (Redouan El Yaakoubi) refused to wear the OneLove band. Both players instead opted to wear a band that read “Respect,” as they felt that would be more all-encompassing. The KNVB then decided not to initiate a new OneLove campaign, because there would be too much emphasis on who would and who would not wear the band. Yet it came from a new OneLove campaign, but Kökçü and El Yaakoubi refused the band again last season.
On Wednesday afternoon, the KNVB announced at an online symposium that the choice to wear the band now lies with the clubs themselves. In previous seasons, the Football Association instructed the captains of Dutch clubs to wear the so-called OneLove captain’s armband. “The responsibility to wear the armband now lies with the clubs themselves,” said Houssin Bezzai, racism and discrimination program manager at the KNVB. “Ultimately, it was important for us to get the conversation started and we succeeded.”
Lubach has little use for Bezzai’s words. “Getting the conversation started? This is nothing, KNVB! Do you know who also started the conversation? Hamas! We are not going to compliment them for that either. So the KNVB is not saying that they will continue with that campaign, because apparently LGBTI people are still not accepted. No! So instead they say: ‘You know what, leave that band alone.’ Clubs are allowed to know what they are doing. And that is what they (the KNVB, ed.) announced yesterday at a symposium at a table with all kinds of people who knew nothing about it yet.”
“So they’re stopping the OneLove campaign on Coming Out Day. What the fuck!? That’s like breaking up with someone on your wedding day. Will something take its place?” Lubach wonders before a new clip is released. of the symposium starts. Bezzai states that ‘the message’ of the OneLove campaign is the residual result of years of action. “The message…”, Lubach responds. “And where can we read it?” Bezzai states that this can be done by ‘calling attention to everyone’. “Asking for everyone’s attention… HELLO, CAN I HAVE EVERYONE’S ATTENTION?” Lubach shouts in a satirical manner. “They just insult those people in front of them. But in the meantime, the KNVB tries to make a good impression with all kinds of nice words.”
Lubach is referring to the words of Marianne van Leeuwen, director of professional football KNVB. “Everyone should be able to be themselves in football. They should feel welcome, regardless of sexual preference or gender identity. And in reality, unfortunately, that is not always the case. We want to change that and the KNVB would like to play a role in this. to play.”
Lubach states that the KNVB is ‘declining’ (over time). For example, then FC Utrecht captain Willem Janssen played with a full rainbow band in 2017. “So not with such a complicated, not-quite-rainbow,” he refers to the OneLove band. “But really with a rainbow flag. And that was no problem at all!” Janssen suggested he wear the band six years ago to offer support to his colleagues who had not yet come out. “We also want to break this taboo a bit and show that the dressing room supports you,” he said at the time. Lubach: “So this is not about everyone, but: ‘if you come out of the closet, we support you.'” Three years ago, coaches still wore rainbow pins and corner flags were decorated in rainbow colors.
“The acceptance of LGBTI people is therefore declining,” Lubach concludes. “And instead of the KNVB saying: ‘Now we’re going to continue’, they just stop doing it. You cowards! And that’s why we have come up with a new captain’s armband as an alternative to the OneLove band: the WatLaf band. This says: you (the players wearing that WatLaf band, ed.): ‘KNVB: how cowardly of you! How cowardly that you do not dare to support LGBTI people. How cowardly that you withdraw your hands from it in times of increasing homophobia. ‘”
The WatLaf band.
2023-10-13 08:29:00
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