Harry Kane wearing the OneLove armband in September
(Picture: The FA/PA)England, Wales, and five other European nations ditched plans to wear the ‘OneLove’ armband in the World Cup over threats from FIFA that players could risk being booked.
Without directly referencing any LGBTQ+ causes, the rainbow armband was designed to promote inclusivity, and issue a message against all forms of discrimination.
In a joint statement, the seven football federations said they felt “angry” and “betrayed” by FIFA.
They said: “FIFA have been very clear that they will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. 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.
“We are very frustrated by the decision which we believe is unprecedented — we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the armband to support inclusion in football, and had no response.”
Several fans spoke out against England’s decision to abandon the armbands.
Steve Wright, from Derby, told the PA news agency that the teams are “bowing to the oppression of the Qatari government”.
Another fan, Shane Jackson from Worcestershire, said: “I think Harry Kane shouldn’t have the burden on him – of being booked… The political stuff should be left behind.”
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