Following Fifa's decision to yellow card any captains wearing One Love armbands at the World Cup in Qatar, LGBT groups have said that the governing body of football has given a "platform to hatred". A joint statement from the seven European nations who had signed up to the anti-discriminatory campaign - including England and Wales - confirmed the armbands will no longer be worn due to fear of sanctions.
Qatar's hosting of the event has garnered criticism due to homosexuality being illegal in the country, accusations of bribery and the reported deaths of migrant workers. Following the decision to sanction those promoting social causes, plenty have hit out at Fifa, with a campaigner saying teams had been "bullied" into not showing support for social causes.
A joint statement by Three Lions Pride and The Rainbow Wall, said: “In seeking to censor European FAs and players by forcing them to abandon using the ‘OneLove’ Armband aimed at tackling all forms of discrimination, Fifa are guilty of crushing the basic human rights to freedom of speech and of expression that every single one of us should have without question. In doing so, Fifa are guilty of silencing anti-discrimination work within the game and of giving a platform to hatred.
“This abuse of power by those who have chosen to remain silent for so long is a gross betrayal of trust and cannot be allowed to stand. We have no faith in Fifa, no trust in this World Cup.”
It was feared Three Lions skipper Harry Kane and Gareth Bale, of Wales, could be booked for wearing the rainbow-coloured One Love armband, because it is not a Fifa-approved piece of kit. Fifa has issued its own armbands to be worn by the 32 competing nations instead.
LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “The OneLove armband was the tiniest of gestures. It did not even specifically mention LGBT+ people. It was a weak campaign but even that was too much for Fifa, who have bullied the England team to not wear it.
“Two days ago Fifa’s president spoke of inclusivity but this ruling shows his true colours. I urge the team captains at their post-match press conferences to spend just 30 seconds to speak out for the rights of women, LGBTs and migrant workers. That would have a huge impact, reaching a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We share the FA’s frustration with Fifa’s decision on this which puts players in a very difficult position. It is, ultimately, a decision for the FA. On LGBT rights more broadly, clearly Qatar’s policies are not those of the UK Government and not ones we would endorse.”
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