The England captain, Harry Kane, and his Wales counterpart, Gareth Bale, are to defy Fifa by wearing “OneLove” rainbow armbands in their World Cup matches, after the governing body launched its own “social campaign” on the eve of the tournament.
Fifa has asked that all captains wear a different armband on each match day, promoting social messages such as “Football unites the world”, “Share the meal” and “Bring the moves”. The decision was announced months after a number of countries approached Fifa asking to wear rainbow armbands in Qatar as a gesture against discrimination and in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
They received no response to their request, with England and Wales both surprised by Fifa’s last-minute initiative on Saturday. But both FAs have reaffirmed their intention to wear the rainbow armbands, with the likely prospect that they will be fined for doing so.
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