Jamie Carragher encouraged Harry Kane to wear the 'OneLove' armband prior to The FA's u-turn decision to do so amid the threat of sporting sanctions from FIFA. The England captain is set to lead Gareth Southgate's side out in the Three Lions' World Cup opener versus Iran on Monday afternoon, November 21.
Kane was set to don the 'OneLove' armband to express the nation's support for the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised groups on the international stage. But, FIFA hasn't supported the act from participating teams, and England have been told that the 'OneLove' armbands will not be permitted during the World Cup.
The Three Lions were seemingly poised to make a stand in return for a booking from the referee upon entering the field of play. But, amid pressure from FIFA, the FA have now controversially decided against wearing the 'OneLove' armband.
READ MORE: Why Harry Kane could be booked as soon as England vs Iran 2022 World Cup clash kicks off
Prior to The FA turning back on their initial decision, Carragher backed Kane to wear the armband 'OneLove' armband. Speaking on Football Daily, the former Liverpool defender said: "He has to wear it.
"England have made a big noise about the fact Kane is going to wear it. This is a protest in some ways to the World Cup being in Qatar, the situation, human rights, and everything that goes on in the country that people have criticised.
"This was England's way of showing that they don't agree with everything that is going on in the country," he added. "I think for England to pull out of that now and not do that all because of a yellow card to Harry Kane would be weak, so I think it should make them more determined."
But now, according to a joint statement from participating Football Associations, sanctions stronger than a booking could now be in place. A statement from the Football Associations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland regarding the 'OneLove' armband reads: "FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play.
"As national federations, we can't put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in Fifa World Cup games. We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband.
"However, we cannot put our players in a situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play. We are very frustrated by the Fifa decision, which we believe is unprecedented – we wrote to Fifa in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response.
"Our players and coaches are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways."
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