Harry Kane was not allowed to wear a OneLove armband during England's 6-2 win against Iran but made his own not-so-subtle gesture ahead of the Three Lions' World Cup opener.
Three Lions skipper Kane, 29, wanted to wear the OneLove armband in their World Cup opener to promote diversity and inclusion, but FIFA threatened to book him and six other captains for making the protest. Same-sex relationships are outlawed in Qatar.
The controversial World Cup hosts don't allow the promotion of same-sex relationships, either, and have tried to censor rainbows throughout the tournament, despite promising not to do this. The rainbow flag is an international symbol of LGBT+ community.
Kane instead appeared to protest against FIFA's decision to quash the OneLove campaign by wearing a Rolex Daytona watch worth £535,000. The flash piece of jewellery contains the rainbow colours and was worn by Stormzy at the 2020 BRIT Awards.
Kane's watch went under the radar until an Instagram account called 'Insane Luxury Life' posted an image of the Tottenham forward wearing it prior to the Iran game. It's claimed the jewellery is "one of the most sought after pieces on the market".
The 18k rose-gold watch features 36 rainbow sapphires on bezel, 56 diamonds on the case and 11 rainbow coloured sapphires as hour markers. It was first released in 2012 in 18k white gold and 18k yellow card but "weren't much appreciated in the market". It's claimed the retail price of the watch is £112,231, but the current market price is a whopping £535,000.
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Kane's watch is the latest protest against Qatar's desire to eradicate the rainbow colours from the ongoing World Cup.
A group of Wales fans had their rainbow bucket hats confiscated from them ahead of their game against the United States on Monday, while an American journalist was initially denied entry into the ground for wearing a t-shirt containing rainbow colours.
"So, despite fine words from FIFA before the event, Wales rainbow bucket hats confiscated at stadium, mine included," revealed former Wales international Laura McAllister on Monday. "I had a conversation about this with stewards - we have video evidence. This World Cup just gets better [sarcasm] but we will continue to stand up for our values."
A Danish journalist was confronted by police and had his camera broken, while another was also fronted up by police for wearing the OneLove armband during a live broadcast. FIFA have warned Qatar to stick to their pledge to ensure LGBT+ fans can attend the World Cup, but they have also quashed many protests in recent days.
Blocking the OneLove campaign is the most prominent example of this, but FIFA also told Belgium they can't wear their away kit because it contains the word "love" inside the collar. It's claimed this is because it is a commercial reference to a music festival.
Some nations have responded to Qatar's and FIFA's crackdown on LGBT+ symbols. Germany players put their hand over their mouths for their team photo ahead of their 2-1 defeat to Japan on Wednesday, while Wales have installed rainbow flags at their base.
