FIFA have been accused of snubbing English referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor in response to the OneLove campaign.
Oliver, 37, and Taylor, 44, are the Premier League's two representatives at the World Cup in Qatar but are yet to be assigned a fixture by FIFA. Seven European nations supported the OneLove campaign but were forced to ditch it after being threatened by FIFA.
Global football's governing body warned Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and five other World Cup captains they would be booked if they wore the OneLove armband, which aims to promote inclusion and diversity. Same-sex relationships are outlawed in Qatar.
All seven captains didn't wear the armband, yet players have continued to protest. Germany players notably put their hands over their mouths ahead of their 2-1 defeat to Japan on Wednesday.
It's claimed their continuation to promote LGBT+ rights has hampered Oliver's and Taylor's hopes of officiating a game at the World Cup. That's according to the Daily Mail, with a source telling them the two Premier League referees have been sidelined by FIFA.
Oliver and Taylor are two of England's finest officials. Oliver has refereed in the Premier League since 2010 and became a FIFA listed official two years later. He's taken charge of the European Super Cup, Community Shield, EFL Cup final and two FA Cup finals.
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Taylor also started officiating in the Premier League in 2010 and was added to FIFA's list three years later. His notable events include the European Super Cup, Nations League final, FA Cup final, EFL Cup final, Community Shield and Championship play-off final.
Taylor is best known for being in charge of the Euro 2020 match between Denmark and Finland in June 2021, when Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest. Taylor was praised for his quick and calm reaction to the incident, which helped Eriksen make a recovery.
Germany's Daniel Siebert and Danny Makkelie of the Netherlands are also awaiting their first assignments. Siebert is reportedly set to oversee the fixture between Tunisia and Australia on Saturday.
Yet there is no news on when Oliver, Taylor or Makkelie will get their chance to shine in Qatar. FIFA are also still to give a female referees Stephanie Frappart of France and Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda their chance to officiate a men's World Cup game.
Frappart and Mukansanga recently made World Cup history by becoming the first female referees to work at a men's tournament. Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan is set to join that club by being the fourth official at England's game against the United States on Friday.
FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has confirmed female officials will be put forward for all matches at the World Cup. Women's rights are curbed in several nations competing at the World Cup - including Qatar - with ongoing protests taking place in Iran.
Mirror Football have approached FIFA for comment.
