Fifa threats prompt England to scrap plan to wear One Love armband at World Cup
England football chiefs say captain Harry Kane will not wear a One Love armband in their opening World Cup match against Iran today after Fifa threatened them with sporting sanctions.
They were one of seven nations planning for their captains to wear the armband as a gesture of solidarity with minority groups in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
But all have now backed out of the move and criticised Fifa for the timing of the decision, which came after the tournament had already started on Sunday.
“Fifa has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play,” said a joint statement from England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
“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 infirming them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football and had no response.
“Our coaches and players are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show their support in other ways.”
England players plan to take the knee before all of their games at this World Cup, manage Gareth Southgate said on Sunday.
They have long used the gesture to raise awareness of social injustice and plan to continue in Qatar, despite Premier League clubs cutting back on its use this season.
England face Iran in their first match in Group B, which also contains Wales and the USA, at 1pm UK time. The match will be shown on the BBC.