World Cup

FA confirm England will not wear OneLove armband at World Cup

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 21 November 2022

England and six other national teams will not wear the OneLove armband at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar amid the threat of sporting sanctions from FIFA.

England are one of seven teams to confirm that they will not don the OneLove armband at the 2022 World Cup amid the threat of sanctions from FIFA.

The Qatar tournament has been overshadowed by the host nation's human rights record and stance on the LGBTQ+ community, as well as allegations of corruption.

England had intended to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community and fight discrimination by handing the OneLove armband to Harry Kane, but they were hit with the threat of a yellow card for their captain by FIFA.

Now, the FA have confirmed in a joint statement with Wales, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany that players will not wear the armband in a late U-turn.

The governing bodies have been left "very frustrated" by FIFA's ruling on the armbands, but the threat of "sporting sanctions" is too strong to ignore.

General view of the FIFA World Cup Trophy on March 27, 2022 © Reuters

The statement read: "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.

"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 informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response. Our players and coaches are disappointed - they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways."

The decision not to wear OneLove armbands at the World Cup has led to scathing criticism, with the Football Supporters' Association putting out a strongly-worded message referencing Gianni Infantino's peculiar opening remarks.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino pictured on November 19, 2022 © Reuters

"To paraphrase FIFA president Gianni Infantino - today LGBT+ football supporters and their allies will feel angry. Today we feel betrayed. Today we feel contempt for an organisation that has shown its true values by giving the yellow card to players and the red card to tolerance," the statement read.

"Never again should a World Cup be handed out solely on the basis of money and infrastructure. No country which falls short on LGBT+ rights, women's rights, workers' rights and any other universal right should be given the honour of hosting a World Cup.

"Since 2010 we have been raising questions about the suitability of Qatar as a World Cup host. Everyone could see this coming and it's astonishing that, on the morning of England's World Cup opener, FIFA are censoring players and the nine national FAs - including the FA and FAW - who wish to share a positive message."

England and Wales both begin their World Cup 2022 Group B campaigns on Monday, with the Three Lions tackling Iran at lunchtime before the Dragons meet the USA this evening.