Denmark have revealed that they have had internal discussions about withdrawing completely from FIFA after the decision to effectively ban the OneLove armband at the World Cup.
Harry Kane and Gareth Bale were both advised not to wear the armband by a group of European nations that originally setup the OneLove campaign in the aim of supporting marginalised groups - though none are specifically mentioned.
It was revealed on Sunday night that England captain Kane could be booked if he wore the armband against Iran due to it not being passed as regulated equipment by FIFA. The rules stated that 'sporting sanctions' would follow and European nations jointly agreed to back down.
READ MORE Cristiano Ronaldo fails Todd Boehly test as Chelsea are handed answer to January transfer
Danish FA (DBU) CEO Jakob Jensen explained that captain Simon Kjaer would have been booked as a 'minimum' punishment should he have worn the armband against Tunisia. He said: "On October 21, England asked for an emergency meeting with FIFA, who came to the English hotel. FIFA said it would at least give a yellow card.
"There has been discussion about whether there is a legal basis for giving a yellow card, but there is. The penalty could have been a yellow card, that the captain had not come on the pitch or that he was given a ban."
DBU chairman Jesper Moller added: "There are presidential elections in FIFA. There are 211 countries in FIFA and I understand that the current president has statements of support from 207 countries. Denmark is not among those countries. And we’re not going to be either.
"It is not a decision that has been made now. We have been clear about this for a long time. We have been discussing it in the Nordic region since August.
"I’ve thought it again. I imagine that there may be challenges if Denmark leaves on its own. But let us see if we cannot have a dialogue on things.
"I have to think about the question of how to restore confidence in FIFA. We must evaluate what has happened, and then we must create a strategy – also with our Nordic colleagues."
Germany captain Manuel Neuer, who told the media last week that he would wear the armband - though that came before England's match against Iran - but also backed down during his side's game against Japan. His team instead chose to make a gesture ahead of kick-off by covering their mouths during the pre-match photo.
The Germany Twitter account posted a message explaining the decision, saying: "We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect. Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard."
"It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us. Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position."
The FA and England received backlash for not being stronger in their stance against Qatar's treatment of gay people and left the LGBTQ+ community massively unsupported and represented at the World Cup. The OneLove campaign itself had already been seen as a weak way of showing support in the first place.
The German football federation (DFB) said earlier in the week that it would be seeking advice over taking legal action against FIFA for effectively banning the armband, with spokesperson Stefan Simon saying: "FIFA has forbidden us from using a symbol of diversity and human rights. It said the ban would be linked to massive penalties (in the nature of) sporting sanctions without concretising exactly what it meant. The DFB is keen to clarify whether FIFA's procedure is in fact legitimate."
Germany faced humiliation in the aftermath of this after major supermarket chain REWE cut all ties to the advertising campaign for the World Cup after Gianni Infantino's speech before the tournament accusing the west of 'hypocrisy' and Simon also suggested that Neuer may well make a U-turn before their second group match against Spain.
Kane instead wore the standard FIFA anti-discrimination armband.
READ NEXT:
Karim Benzema helps Real Madrid make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision despite Chelsea 'talks'
Chelsea loan latest as two transfer plans become clear during World Cup break and Ampadu shines
Edouard Mendy World Cup error forces Graham Potter to address awkward Chelsea transfer question
Frenkie de Jong sends Chelsea clear transfer message in open attack on Barcelona board
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
