FIFA World Cup 2022: England, 6 Other Europe Captains Not To Wear 'One Love' Armband In Qatar, Say Reports. Know Why

FIFA has officially refused to sanction the use of 'OneLove' armband, which was first initiated by the Dutch FA in 2020 as a campaign in support of LGBTQ+

England's Harry Kane was due to be the first Captain to wear the 'OneLove' armband.

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Captains of seven European nations have stepped back from wearing the 'One Love' armband in Qatar World Cup 2022 after FIFA threatened of imposing sporting sanctions. FIFA has officially refused to sanction the use of 'One Love' armband, which was first initiated by the Dutch FA in 2020 as a campaign in support of LGBTQ+.

Although, the armband represents support for equality and it's not only at backing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, but is significant in Qatar, as homosexuality is illegal.

England's Harry Kane was due to be the first captain to wear the armband in the World Cup in their opening match against Iran on Monday. However, in a joint statement the football associations of England, Wales, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland said, "We cannot put our players in a situation where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.

"We were even prepared pay the fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a commitment to wearing the armbands. However, we cannot put our players in a 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," the joint statement by the European nations further said. 

The armband features a heart design containing rainbow (VIBGYOR) colours, which the Dutch FA said is to intend "inclusiveness". Besides, words 'one' and 'love' are written in black on either side of a white "1" that stands in mid of the heart shape of the band.

Earlier, Kane had stated that he and his fellow European nations' captains were determined to wear the armband, to display their support and show solidarity and equality. However, wearing the band might have costed the players heavily as the world governing body denied sanctions for the use of the band in Qatar World Cup.