The Royal Dutch Football Association first introduced the “OneLove” armbands in 2020 as a part of an inclusivity drive (KNVB).
The KNVB campaign is against discrimination on the grounds of race, skin color, sexual orientation, culture, religion, nationality, gender, and “all other types of discrimination.” The image shows a heart-shaped rainbow flag with a digit one in the center, the words “One Love” on either side, and the phrase “football connects” written in cursive below.
The armbands were intended to be worn by the captains of England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark in opposition to Qatar’s legislation prohibiting same-sex unions.
Since homosexuality is prohibited in the conservative nation of Qatar, some soccer players have expressed concern for the fans who would be traveling there, particularly women and LGBT people, whom rights organizations claim are subjected to discrimination under Qatari legislation.
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The national football organizations of the nations planned to wear the armband announced in an unified statement that FIFA had warned to caution any player who did so.
The captain of every team “must use the captain’s armband given by FIFA” during FIFA Final Competitions, and team equipment cannot contain any political, religious, or personal slogans, declarations, or images.
Wales said that although the interested nations had agreed to pay fines that would typically be imposed for violating kit restrictions, the sporting consequences had gone too far.
Bernd Neuendorf, head of the German Football Association, stated that although FIFA’s decision was unusual, it was unjust for the players to be held accountable for any potential repercussions if they chose to wear it nevertheless. The decision to forego wearing the armband was made with “a heavy heart,” according to the Dutch FA.
