Merseyside LGBTQ+ football fans have spoken out against England’s decision not to wear the OneLove armband.
The Three Lions, who opened their World Cup campaign today, were one of nine teams to come together in deciding to don the distinctive OneLove armbands during matches in a bid to support inclusivity and LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar - a country where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death for Muslim men.
However, it was announced today, just hours before England's match against Iran, that captain, Harry Kane, would not wear the armband after the Football Association backed down in the face of FIFA’s threat to show the Tottenham Hotspur striker a yellow card.
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It was suggested captains who choose to wear the unsanctioned armbands could be booked before kick-off, according to ruling 4.3 of FIFA’s equipment regulations, which states: “No item may be worn or used in any controlled area if FIFA considers that it is dangerous, offensive or indecent, includes political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, or otherwise does not comply in full with the laws of the game.”
The decision not to wear the armband, which does not directly reference the Qatari government’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights, is one that hasn’t pleased football fans in Merseyside.
Francis Wight, a centre-back for Mersey Marauders , Merseyside’s LGBTQ+ football club, told the ECHO : “There was a sense of inevitability about it, I’m not surprised but I’m deeply saddened by it. The OneLove armband was the bare minimum in the first place. It was an important sign of solidarity and a relatively small gesture in the grand scheme of things.
“It shows how empty the promises made by FIFA and the English FA were about increasing inclusivity in football. If they can’t even take a stand on such a minor point, it doesn’t speak very well about how committed they are to LGBTQ+ inclusion in football.
“One of the hard truths about protests is that there are stakes involved and the stake here is getting a yellow card. I do understand it is a challenging decision to make for the players, but changing something requires there to be stakes involved and it's pretty disappointing to see the England squad put a yellow card ahead of LGBTQ+ solidarity.”
Echoing a similar sentiment was Paul Amann, founder of Kop Outs, Liverpool FC’s LGBTQ+ supporters club. He said: “The attempt to stifle calls for equality and human rights demands a more radical response. To have the already low bar on showing solidarity with an armband denied is an indication of exactly why human rights should be contingent on any country's ability to host the World Cup.”
Paul Hession, events manager for Everton FC’s LGBTQ+ supporters club, added: “I understand they feel forced into this sad predicament and they don’t want sanctions imposed on them, but the more I hear about this farcical situation the angrier I get. It’s just one thing after another now.”
The FAs of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Holland and Switzerland issued a statement about the OneLove armband. It highlighted how “as national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings”, but insisted the “disappointed” players and coaches “will show support in other ways”.
FIFA previously tried to discourage the OneLove armband movement with its own campaign, expecting teams to abide by its new armbands, which display messages such as "#ProtectChildren" "#ShareTheMeal", "#FootballForSchools" and "#NoDiscrimination".
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