Following Fifa's decision to yellow card any captains wearing One Love armbands at the World Cup in Qatar, LGBT groups have said that the governing body of football has given a "platform to hatred". A joint statement from the seven European nations who had signed up to the anti-discriminatory campaign - including England and Wales - confirmed the armbands will no longer be worn due to fear of sanctions.
Qatar's hosting of the event has garnered criticism due to homosexuality being illegal in the country, accusations of bribery and the reported deaths of migrant workers. Following the decision to sanction those promoting social causes, plenty have hit out at Fifa, with a campaigner saying teams had been "bullied" into not showing support for social causes.
A joint statement by Three Lions Pride and The Rainbow Wall, said: “In seeking to censor European FAs and players by forcing them to abandon using the ‘OneLove’ Armband aimed at tackling all forms of discrimination, Fifa are guilty of crushing the basic human rights to freedom of speech and of expression that every single one of us should have without question. In doing so, Fifa are guilty of silencing anti-discrimination work within the game and of giving a platform to hatred.
