Ahead of the World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged the 32 teams heading to Qatar to “let football take center stage” and “focus on football,” but just a few days into the tournament, that desire didn’t exactly come true as planned.
First, there was last minute alcohol ban inside and around stadiums. Then there was dozens of empty seats halfway through the match as host nation Qatar lost to Ecuador. On Monday, a major row between FIFA and seven European nations ended with these countries abandon the plan to make their captains wear a special anti-discrimination armband at the last minute.
– World Cup teams drop ‘One Love’ armband amid row with FIFA
Just over three hours before England kick off against Iran in their opening Group B match at the Khalifa International Stadium, the countries involved – England, Wales, l Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark – have issued a joint statement. confirming they would not wear the OneLove armband after learning that each captain would receive a yellow card at kick-off.
FIFA insisted the yellow card sanction had been communicated as a possible consequence before the last 48 hours, but no matter what you think, a tournament mired in controversy for years in its preparation continues to be overshadowed by off-field issues, even after games started.
What is the OneLove cuff?
Amid widespread concern over Qatar’s human rights record, several European countries have held discussions to see whether an agreement could be reached for a collective gesture during international matches.
Led by the Dutch Football Association (known as KNVB), sources told ESPN that 10 nations are in contact – the seven mentioned above plus Norway, Sweden and France. In September, nine nations (without France) announced the creation of the OneLove armband, designed to “use the power of football to promote inclusion and send a message against any form of discrimination as the eyes of the world turn to the global game”, as the press release which stated at the time stated accompanied him. In response, UEFA confirmed in a statement that it “fully supports” the OneLove campaign, adding that it had “also approved the use of armbands during the September international window, for those associations that have contacted us.” .
Significantly, this rapid approval – UEFA tends to reject anything that could be interpreted as a political statement from member countries – meant that there were no detailed discussions about the possible repercussions when this The same plan was applied to the World Cup, a tournament organized by FIFA. Sources have told ESPN that the regulations for a Euro, for example, are quite broad and that UEFA would have provided advice on relevant issues relating to the use of “special equipment”, i.e. tell how the armbands would have been classified.
So why was this such a problem at the World Cup?
Qatar’s Supreme Committee and FIFA have repeatedly insisted that “everyone is welcome” amid concerns over the treatment of LGBTQIA+ people in the Gulf state. Same-sex relations are illegal in the country and, in some cases, punishable by death, making the use of a rainbow armband an extremely sensitive subject.
The KNVB’s explanation of how the OneLove heart colors were decided: red/black/green were for everyone, regardless of heritage or background, and pink/yellow/blue were used to reflect all genders and sexual identities. All seven nations qualifying for Qatar – Norway and Sweden were absent – made it clear well before the tournament that they planned to wear the armband in Qatar, and it seemed the only consequence was a fine from FIFA. the associations concerned had indicated they were happy to pay.
However, as the teams arrived in Qatar and began their preparations, rumors began to circulate regarding a possible yellow card for each captain. So, it was rumored that if they chose to wear the armband, they would come out onto the pitch for the start of the match and receive a yellow card at kick-off. FIFA only publicly confirmed the accuracy of the reports early Monday morning, despite repeated requests for comment, leaving little time for discussion among the nations participating in the action.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, whose position on the pitch minimizes the risk of a yellow card, insisted he would wear the armband anyway. On Sunday, Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk was less enthusiastic to discuss the situation again but nevertheless reiterated its support. Around the same time, England manager Gareth Southgate privately thought the problem was resolved, and hours later Harry Kane confirmed his intention to wear the armband regardless.
Sources told ESPN that the English FA were in dialogue with FIFA, but there was no mention of Kane being warned for the gesture on Sunday night in Qatar. So as conversations continued on Monday morning between FIFA and the national associations, FIFA confirmed that captains would be reserved and it was clear that the sporting sanction represented too much risk.
In theory, each captain could be banned twice during the tournament if they were booked in all seven matches, and that’s not counting the obvious disciplinary tightrope they would walk in each match to avoid committing another infraction can be reserved. Under FIFA rules, a player booked in the first two matches of the group stage would miss the third group match. He would then be eligible to return for the round of 16, but warnings at this stage and in the quarter-final would mean that a player would miss the semi-final (if his team advances), thus setting the stage for his return to the final.
So what does this mean for the rest of the tournament and the current political environment?
Monday’s about-face only reinforces nagging suspicions that FIFA and Qatar are only willing to promote diversity and inclusion on their terms. Just one day before the tournament, FIFA announced its own version anti-discrimination armbands as part of a “No Discrimination” campaign. Monday, they also ordered Belgium to remove the “love” message from the collar of their shirt with no room for discussion.
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The different nations are not happy. German FA chief Bernd Neuendorf called FIFA’s threat of sporting sanctions an “unprecedented show of power”, a view that sources say is reflected by many associations. However, FIFA insists these nations should not have been surprised.
Article 13.8.1 of the FIFA Equipment Regulations states: “For FIFA final competitions, the captain of each team must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA.” A press release on Monday added that: “FIFA is an inclusive organization that wants to put football for the benefit of society by supporting good and legitimate causes, but this must be done within the framework of the competition rules known to all.”
Either way, this is another off-field issue that highlights long-standing tensions between typical World Cup values and Qatari culture. In their joint statements, the seven nations said: “Our players and coaches are disappointed. They are strong supporters of inclusion and will show their support in other ways.” This argument may not be over yet.
