Seven European captains ditch One Love arm band under FIFA pressure

THE captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark will not wear “Onelove” armbands after FIFA made it clear they would be booked, the associations said in a joint statement.

“You don’t want the captain to start the match with a yellow card. That is why it is with a heavy heart that we as a UEFA working group ... and as a team had to decide to abandon our plan,” the Dutch football association KNVB said in a statement.

The KNVB said FIFA had made it clear only hours before kick-off of their opening match against Senegal yesterday that captain Virgil van Dijk would get a yellow card if he walked on the pitch wearing the armband as planned.

The KNVB said they were “deeply disappointed” in FIFA’S stance and would not let it pass unnoticed.

“This is completely against the spirit of our sport, which unites millions of people,” the KNVB said in a statement.

“Together with other countries involved we will critically look at our relation with FIFA.”

The armband had been designed to convey a message “against any form of discrimination”, the Dutch FA said.

According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team “must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA”.

Wales said the countries involved had been prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations, but sporting sanctions had been a step too far. — Reuters