England and others will not wear 'OneLove' armband at FIFA World Cup 2022

In a joint statement, European nations England, Wales, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany said that their captains will not be brandishin the 'OneLove' armbands at the FIFA World Cup 2022, in Qatar.

The gesture was aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ rights and promoting inclusivity at the global stage. However, FIFA has put a ban on this and pointed to sanctions being enforced against players who do go ahead with this, which includes getting booked at the start of a match.

A screengrab of the joint statement

In response, the statement from the countries said that they had approached FIFA with this initiative back in September but had received no answer from the governing body. "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," it further read.

The countries also added that they were "frustrated" at the authorities and the decision, which they believe is "unprecedented".

Moreover, the FSA (Football Supporters Association), a representative body of supporters in England and Wales said that they will "betrayed" in a statement released on their Twitter handle.

"...today LGBTQ+ supporters and their allies will feel angry," it read further.