The historic Wembley Stadium lit up in the colors of the rainbow on Friday night at a protest against FIFA. The sport’s world governing body essentially banned OneLove captain’s armbands just hours before the World Cup began.
FIFA pre-approved the bracelets ahead of the start of the tournament on November 20. Seven teams, including England, Wales and Germany, planned to wear the armband during the World Cup. However, FIFA quickly raised issues with the OneLove campaign.
OneLove is essentially against discrimination based on race, skin color, sexual orientation, faith, gender and nationality. The campaign launched in 2020 and promotes diversity and inclusion.
FIFA, however, issued warnings to these seven teams in the final minutes leading up to the tournament. The chief executive of the English Football Association, Mark Bullingham, has claimed the organization has threatened ‘unlimited’ sanctions against wearing the rainbow armbands.
The English FA demands heavy sanctions with the OneLove bracelet
“[FIFA] It led us into a scenario where, at the very least, anyone wearing the armband would be booked and face disciplinary action on top of that,” Bullingham told ITV on Friday.
“It was limitless. They would take disciplinary action against any player wearing the armband in addition to having a yellow card. It’s not clear, although they just said they would take disciplinary action and obviously there is unlimited liability in that action.”
Wembley Stadium, a rainbow amid the bans
This week, stadium officials also confiscated the rainbow bucket hats worn by Wales fans. American soccer journalist Grant Wahl claimed that he was briefly denied entry to the stadium for also wearing a rainbow-colored jersey.
FIFA and World Cup host nation Qatar have come under intense scrutiny for their stance on human rights issues. In fact, homosexuality is currently illegal in the Middle Eastern country. It is one of the public concerns surrounding the Qatari host of the World Cup.
World Cup 2022 Guide
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