FIFA appear to have decided they will not punish Germany for their gesture before their World Cup clash against Japan in Group E on Wednesday. The side were pictured covering their mouths in reaction to the "One Love" campaign armband being met with possible sporting sanctions.
The campaign was backed by seven national sides to try and raise awareness of the lack of human rights for LGBTQ+ people in host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. FIFA's decision saw the nations back down from wearing the armband, and they released a joint-statement shortly after.
"We can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings," a joint statement from the sides read. "So we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in games."
