Xtra Time Web Desk: In what is believed to be the first major controversy in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, England and six other European nations participating in the tournament has been warned by FIFA against wearing ‘One Love’ armbands. The ‘OneLove’ armbands are worn by the captains to express their support for the LGBTQ community.
England, Wales, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland on Monday announced their captains won’t be wearing the special armbands after FIFA warned them of disciplinary action. The governing body of world football has warned the associations that the captain who takes the field with the ‘OneLove’ armbands will be booked and receive a yellow card even before the start of the game. The football associations of the seven countries released a joint statement expressing their disappointment over the world football governing body’s decision.
“FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. 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,” the seven countries said in a joint statement.