The 7 European teams participating in the Qatar 2022 World Cup have announced that they have changed their decision to wear the badge to support the Al Ain Mim community during matches to avoid fines.
Teams from England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland issued a statement saying that “FIFA has made it quite clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear (pro-gay) badges on the pitch.” “We cannot put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions… That’s why we asked captains not to try to wear armbands” at World Cup matches, the statement said.
This announcement was made approximately 3 hours before the match between England and Iran at the Khalifa Stadium in the capital Doha for the opening of the second group of the World Cup competitions in Qatar. England captain Harry Kane was expected to wear a pro-gay ‘One Love’ badge as part of an appeal to the host country, which has been criticized in the past for allegedly violating human rights, migrant workers and homosexuals. years. However, the International Gaming Federation threatened to impose harsh penalties on players if they violated its rules.
“We were willing to pay the fines normally levied for uniform violations and we were determined to wear the captain’s armband. But we cannot put our players in a situation where they can be warned or even forced to leave the field.” said seven teams. “We are deeply disappointed by FIFA’s decision, which we consider unprecedented. In September we wrote to FIFA to inform them of our desire to wear the One Love badge in support of inclusion in football and received no response. Our players and coaches are disappointed… and will support in other ways.”
