FIFA appear to have decided they will not punish Germany for their gesture before their World Cup clash against Japan in Group E on Wednesday. The side were pictured covering their mouths in reaction to the "One Love" campaign armband being met with possible sporting sanctions.
The campaign was backed by seven national sides to try and raise awareness of the lack of human rights for LGBTQ+ people in host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. FIFA's decision saw the nations back down from wearing the armband, and they released a joint-statement shortly after.
"We can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings," a joint statement from the sides read. "So we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in games."
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In response to the decision, Germany posed for their squad photo with their hands covering their mouths, releasing a pointed statement after which read: "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."
It could prompt action from FIFA, however Sky News reports that the football governing body aren't set to hit the national team with any punishment.
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