Several European football associations have announced that they will wear a special captain’s armband at the World Cup in Qatar.
The German team also wants to join the campaign. On Twitter, the “DFB team” wrote that they want to set a sign against discrimination and for diversity.
One Love ❤️
To set a sign against discrimination and for diversity, Manuel Neuer will wear a special captain’s armband for the upcoming two Nations League matches and during the World Cup in Qatar. OneLove➡️ https://t.co/3NoJor10BC pic.twitter.com/lvtPfMeK2u
– DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) September 21, 2022
Criticism of the layout of the bandage
The armband features a heart dipped in bright colours with the inscription “One Love”. National player Jonas Hofmann explained that it was important to make a statement.
The Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder countered criticism on social media that the armband did not have the original rainbow colours. “A few colours from the rainbow colours are already in it,” Hofmann said. He added that the symbolism was common knowledge anyway.
The English federation tweeted that they want to support the “One Love” initiative and join the message against discrimination and for more inclusion.
We are uniting with nine other European countries in support of OneLove, a campaign that will use the power of football to promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination.
– England (@England) September 21, 2022
World governing body FIFA under pressure
In addition, the associations from the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Wales, France and Denmark want to wear this captain’s armband – not only at the World Cup, but also already at the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches in September. In this competition, the captains of the teams from Norway and Sweden will also wear the armband, but both countries are not qualified for the World Cup.
The DFB explained that the idea came up within the UEFA Working Group. The working group deals with human and labour rights issues in Qatar until the World Cup, which runs from 20 November to 18 December.
FIFA could now come under pressure: This is because the World Football Association prohibits the dissemination of political messages of any kind. Thus, FIFA could either ban an action against discrimination or snub World Cup host Qatar – where homosexuality is forbidden by law.