FIFA鈥檚 threat of on-field punishment for players forced World Cup teams to back down Monday and abandon a plan for their captains to wear armbands that were seen as a rebuke to host nation Qatar鈥檚 human rights record.
Just hours before the first players wearing the armbands in support of the 鈥淥ne Love鈥� campaign were set to take the field, FIFA warned they would be immediately be shown yellow cards 鈥� changing the calculus for the seven European teams, which may have expected to merely be fined. The displays are a violation of FIFA rules.
The standoff was just the latest dispute that threatened to overshadow the play. Since being awarded the World Cup hosting rights in 2010, conservative Muslim Qatar has faced criticism of its treatment of low-paid migrant workers as well as its criminalization of homosexuality.
The decision came three days after beer sales at stadiums were suddenly banned under pressure from the Qatari government and two days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino delivered an extraordinary tirade defending the host nation鈥檚 human rights record.
The captains of seven European nations had vowed to wear armbands carrying the heart-shaped multi-colored logo of the 鈥淥ne Love鈥� campaign, which promotes inclusion and diversity in soccer and society. That set up the prospect of viewers worldwide seeing a symbol of disapproval with the host country and defiance of FIFA on the arms of England鈥檚 Harry Kane, the Netherlands鈥� Virgil van Dijk and Wales鈥� Gareth Bale on Monday.
But in the end, the teams said they couldn鈥檛 sacrifice success on the field. A yellow card is a warning, but two yellows would see a player sent off the field for the rest of the game and banned from the next 鈥� a sanction that is intensified in the World Cup format, where teams play just three games before the elimination rounds begin.
鈥淎s national federations we can鈥檛 put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including bookings,鈥� the seven soccer federations said in a joint statement.
The captains of Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark had also pledged to wear the armbands in the coming days.
鈥淥ur number one priority at the World Cup is to win the games,鈥� the Dutch soccer federation said in a separate statement. 鈥淭hen you don鈥檛 want the captain to start the match with a yellow card.鈥�
England鈥檚 Football Supporters Association said it felt betrayed by FIFA.
鈥淭oday we feel contempt for an organization that has shown its true values by giving the yellow card to players and the red card to tolerance,鈥� the FSA said.
Gurchaten Sandhu, of the Geneva-based International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, said that FIFA put 鈥渁thletes in a very, very awkward鈥� position.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e bound the hands of the national teams. They鈥檙e there to compete,鈥� he said.
It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear what, if any, influence Qatar鈥檚 autocratic government had on the decision. The Qatari government and its Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which oversees the World Cup, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The European plans were in clear breach of World Cup regulations and FIFA鈥檚 general rules on team equipment at its games, but Danish soccer federation head Jakob Jensen told Danish broadcaster TV2 that the organization was 鈥漞xtremely disappointed with FIFA.鈥�
鈥淭hey have known about our position for a long time,鈥� Jensen said. 鈥淲e stand for inclusion, just like FIFA says they stand for inclusion. I don鈥檛 see how our message is in conflict with the messages FIFA wants to send.鈥�
FIFA raised the prospect of yellow cards on Sunday during a testy meeting with European soccer federations.
The soccer body鈥檚 equipment regulations state: 鈥淔or FIFA final competitions, the captain of each team must wear the captain鈥檚 armband provided by FIFA.鈥�
Its proposal, announced Saturday, was for captains to wear armbands with socially aware, though generic, slogans. In that offer, armbands reading 鈥淣o Discrimination鈥� 鈥� the only one of its chosen slogan aligned with the European teams鈥� wish 鈥� would appear only at the quarterfinal stage.
On Monday, it offered a compromise, saying captains of all 32 teams 鈥渨ill have the opportunity鈥� to wear an armband with the slogan 鈥淣o Discrimination鈥� in the group games.
鈥擥raham Dunbar, The Associated Press
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