The FIFA World Cup of 2022 which is being hosted by Qatar has been surrounded by a slew of controversies before the biggest sports tournament in the world was even inaugurated.
The ‘One Love’ armband is a part of the mountain of controversies surrounding the 2022 World Cup.
The captains of seven football teams including Harry Kane and Virgil Van Dijk had announced days before the inaugural match between England and Iran that they will be wearing the One Love armbands in support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Alex scott a women who has just come out and now is in a country where she she can be killed or imprisoned for being part of the community is wearing the one love armband, brave and powerful stuff from her pic.twitter.com/1f2RYvtpDg
— - A🦋 (@Ava_wfc) November 21, 2022
What is the One Love Armband?
The One Love armband was created by football teams to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community and draw the attention of a global audience to the cause.
Since homosexuality is illegal and frowned upon in the host nation of World Cup 2022, Qatar, soccer team captains decided to wear the rainbow armband, which reads the words ‘OneLove’ and has the number one (1) enclosed in a heart, to show their support.
A few months before the World Cup, members of the LGBTQ community were detained and harassed by Qatar police. Given this track record, wearing the armband was intended to serve as a silent protest against the unfair treatment of the community.
The One Love armband campaign was started by the Dutch Football Association before the start of the 2020 football season in an effort to "show their support for the union of all people" and denounce all forms of prejudice.
What does FIFA say about the One Love armband controversy?
Seven football team captains had agreed to wear the armbands as a silent protest, however, none of them would be wearing them anymore.
The FIFA Equipment Regulations 4.3 states, “No item (of Playing Kit or other clothing or equipment or otherwise) may be worn or used in any Controlled Area if FIFA considers that it is dangerous, offensive or indecent, includes political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, or otherwise does not comply in full with the Laws of the Game.”
Adhering to the aforementioned rule, FIFA has barred football players from wearing the armbands and that anyone who breaks the rule will be given a yellow card.
In lieu of the One Love armband, FIFA has come up with its own armband, asking players to wear a different armband in every match to promote the sport. The FIFA owed armbands will feature slogans such as “Football unites the world” and “share the meal.”
FIFA World Cup Winners List (1930 - 2018)
The 2022 football World Cup kicked off on November 21 with the kick-off match between England and Iran. England won the match by 6-2.
The host nation Qatar has been surrounded by controversies ever since it decide the host the 2022 World Cup in 2010 and became the first middle-eastern nation to host the biggest sports tournament in the world.
Also Read | Everything you need to know about Qatar; its history, and politics ahead of FIFA World Cup 2022
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