England, Wales and five other European nations have backed down from wearing the OneLove armband that was intended as a protest at all forms of discrimination at the World Cup in Qatar. The decision came after they were warned by Fifa they would face sporting sanctions, and that their captains could be booked or even forced to leave the pitch.
Instead the captains are expected to wear Fifa-approved armbands promoting different social messages throughout the tournament. Fifa announced on Monday that the “No Discrimination” message, originally scheduled to be worn by teams in the quarter-finals, would instead be worn in the first group games instead.
