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Tag: OneLove armband

  • Sam Kerr has no intentions of wearing ‘OneLove’ armband at World Cup

    Sam Kerr has no intentions of wearing ‘OneLove’ armband at World Cup


    On Monday, Sam Kerr, the captain of the Australian women’s national team, announced that she would not be wearing a “OneLove” rainbow armband at the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

    Kerr explained that she did not want to jeopardize everything by taking a stand.

    FIFA recently revealed eight different armbands that teams can wear at the tournament to raise awareness for social causes.

    However, a rainbow-colored “OneLove” band in support of LGBTQ rights was not included in the options.

    “We kind of expected it, the men’s World Cup, the women’s World Cup … being honest I didn’t expect them to change it (the rule),” Kerr, a long-time advocate of LGBTQ rights, said as Australia announced its 23-strong squad.

    During the men’s World Cup last year, captains from various European countries, such as England and Germany, had planned to wear the “OneLove” armband as a symbolic protest against Qatar’s laws criminalizing homosexuality.

    Unfortunately, they were threatened with sporting sanctions, including the possibility of receiving yellow cards, just days before the tournament commenced. As a result, they decided to abandon the idea.

    “Obviously we would love to wear it — like most of the teams in the whole world, everyone has voiced that they would love to wear it,” Kerr said.

    “But I think you saw with the men’s World Cup, (England captain) Harry Kane for example, first game if he had worn it, yellow card, if he’d got a yellow card again, he would’ve been sent off.

    “So for me it’s not worth the risk of putting the team at risk, of putting the tournament at risk, putting everything at risk. There will be multiple opportunities where I get to use my voice for things.

    “We have to abide by the rules that we’re given really,” she said.

    Players can instead wear an amended version that is similar to “OneLove”, with the words “Unite for Inclusion” alongside a heart shape in rainbow colours.

    Other causes highlighted include gender equality, ending violence against women, hunger and the rights of indigenous people.

    Captains will be able to wear a different armband for each match corresponding to the cause being promoted or support one cause for the entire tournament.

  • OneLove armband: Sports minister Stuart Andrew to wear to England v Wales match in Qatar

    The UK’s first openly gay sports minister said he was determined to make the gesture even though the world’s football governing body has warned players they could be booked for making political protests.

    Stuart Andrew, the sports minister, has said he will wear the OneLove armband at the England v Wales World Cup match in Qatar tomorrow.

    Mr Andrew, himself a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said he is “not going to shy away from who I am

    The UK’s first openly gay sports minister said he was determined to make the gesture even though the world’s football governing body FIFA has warned players they could be booked for making political protests.

    Asked whether he would wear the armband and risk upsetting the World Cup host, Mr Andrew told the Evening Standard: “I absolutely will be doing so.

    “I’m not going to shy away from who I am.

    “Our message very much is that no one should have to hide who they are.”

    Mr Andrew, who is also an equalities minister, said that as a gay man he is in a “unique position” to send a message of solidarity to those LGBTQ+ fans who did not feel comfortable travelling to Qatar for the event.

    He also criticised FIFA for putting players in an “impossible position” by barring them from showing their support by wearing the armband.

    Some football teams – including England and Wales – were preparing to wear the armband during matches in a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

    But FIFA warned players they could face sporting sanctions if they went ahead.

    Football associations subsequently backed down.

    The football body defended its decision to threaten to issue yellow cards to players wearing the armband by saying that its rules do not allow “political, religious or personal messages or slogans”.

    FIFA offered team captains the chance to wear an armband that said “no discrimination” instead.

    Discussing the players who wanted to wear the armbands but could not, the sports minister said: “It means a lot to me personally, means a lot to me as a minister and more broadly, means a lot to fans out there.

    “It is pretty appalling that at the eleventh hour they were put in a position where they were told there would be sanctions against them. That’s put them in an impossible position.”

    He added: “This is an incredibly important tournament for international football… of course they want to progress as far as they can. For them to be silenced is deeply unfair.”

    Stuart Andrew is the Conservative MP for Pudsey, and has been an MP continuously since 6 May 2010Credit:UK Parliament
    Image:Stuart Andrew has been sports minister since September

    Speaking about FIFA, Mr Andrew continued: “Two weeks ago they wrote to everybody to say just concentrate on the football and don’t do the politics.

    “Then they say you can’t wear the armband, but you can wear ours.

    “Well I’m sorry, that is just not an acceptable position. It’s not sustainable. And I think there are serious questions for FIFA to answer.”

    The Conservative MP for Pudsey in Leeds also disclosed that he considered boycotting the World Cup because of Qatar’s rules on same-sex relationships.

    “This has been a decision I’ve thought long and hard about because it is a very deeply personal decision,” he said.

    “I have done a lot of work before this tournament started. I met with the Qatari ambassador and had a very frank conversation about what does ‘everyone is welcome’ actually mean.

    “I have a responsibility to go there and see for myself that is actually what has been delivered on the ground. And if it isn’t in any way then to challenge that.”

    He added: “There is a spotlight on Qatar now and that is a spotlight that we should not let go out as soon as the tournament is over.

    “I really hope that FIFA will have a long hard look at the criteria that are needed for host nations to host such tournaments because clearly, I would have thought their ambition would be for everybody to want to enjoy the games and make them the most successful ever.”

  • Germany protest FIFA’s OneLove ban at World Cup opener

    Germany’s players protested FIFA’s decision to ban Manuel Neuer from wearing the OneLove armband by covering their mouths ahead of their World Cup opener, as the team declared: “Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice.”

    Germany were among several European sides to commit to wearing the armband in order to promote an anti-discriminatory message in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are criminalised.

    However, the teams backed down ahead of their opening World Cup fixtures after being threatened with sporting sanctions by FIFA, which German Football Association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf suggested were more significant than a yellow card for the affected captains.

    After taking to the pitch for their Group E meeting with Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium, Germany’s players covered their mouths for the traditional pre-match photo to protest FIFA’s handling of the row.

    The team subsequently released a statement via social media, which read: “We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect.

    “Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard.

    “It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us.

    “Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position.”

    Germany captain Neuer was seen to have his armband checked by referee Ivan Barton Cisneros ahead of Wednesday’s game.

    Die Mannschaft also warmed up for the match wearing training shirts featuring rainbow-coloured trim in another apparent show of support for LGBTQ+ rights.

    Source: Livescore

     

  • Danish reporter ordered to remove OneLove armband

    A Danish reporter refused to remove his OneLove armband when ordered to do so by a Qatari official.

    John Pagh was doing a piece to camera when a man in uniform told him to take off the LGBT rights symbol.

    But Pagh, a journalist for TV2, stood his ground and refused to remove the armband.

    The officials could be heard telling the Dane in English that the symbol was “not allowed”.

    When Pagh asked if it would be okay if he held it in his hand because he needed to show the armband in his TV piece, the man repeated that it was “not allowed”.

    Pagh said: “I respect that you’re telling me that, but I can’t take it off. Is it because of the colours?”

    The official confirmed that it was due to the rainbow colours on the armband and again asked Pagh to take it off.

    He refused again and then the official appeared to walk off and leave the journalist alone.

    Source: Skynews.com