Hugo Lloris insists that FIFA are right to take the final decision on players sporting the One Love armband at the Qatar World Cup, with the France captain happy to "stay in his box" and leave the call to the authorities.
Nine European nations at the tournament had made it clear that they wished to wear the armband at the tournament as a show of support for LGBTQ+ people, with homosexuality illegal in Qatar.
England captain Harry Kane, Wales skipper Gareth Bale and Netherlands leader Virgil van Dijk were among the players who have said they are willing to wear the armband, however shortly before all three nations played their first games on Monday the English FA confirmed that England would not be wearing it.
Lloris had previously suggested he wouldn't be wearing the armband before the tournament as he wanted to abide by FIFA's guidelines.
“When we are in France, when we welcome foreigners, we often want them to follow our rules, to respect our culture, and I will do the same when I go to Qatar, quite simply,” he said last week.
“I can agree or disagree with their ideas, but I have to show respect.”
The 2018 World Cup winner then doubled down and suggested his stance hasn't changed at a press conference ahead of Tuesday's group stage meeting meeting with Australia.
"FIFA is organising this competition, it is up to them to put in regulatory framework," said the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper.
"Us as players are here to play football and represent as best we can on a sporting front.
"I would prefer to stay in my box and play. There are many different causes that should be supported and are commendable, but it is up to FIFA to take decisions on their competition."
There was still confusion about the armband on Monday morning, with England skipper Kane, Lloris' Tottenham teammate, set to be the first player to wear the armband at the tournament.
However, the FA soon confirmed in a statement that the forward would not be wearing the armband, to their disappointment.
"FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play," they said in a statement.
"As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.
"We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.
"We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented – we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response.
"Our players and coaches are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways."
