Several European soccer federations put pressure on FIFA on Wednesday to allow their leaders to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during World Cup games in Qatar as a statement against discrimination.
Eight of the 13 European soccer teams traveling to Qatar, including France and Germany, participated in the "OneLove" campaign, which was first launched in the Netherlands. France and Germany are the most recent World Cup champions. On November 29, the Dutch team takes on Qatar in Group A.
FIFA regulations state that teams must use equipment provided by the governing body and are not allowed to bring their own armband designs to the World Cup.
The latest battleground for players to promote political themes related to the World Cup being held in Qatar, where gay acts are prohibited and the treatment of migrant workers employed on the tournament's construction projects has been a source of controversy for ten years.
When the entire world is watching, "wearing the armband together on behalf of our teams will send a strong message," England captain Harry Kane said in a statement.
Granit Xhaka's armband should have a heart with a variety of colors to symbolize the diversity of humanity, according to the Swiss Soccer Federation.
In recent years, soccer players have embraced their platform to express themselves. For two seasons following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a police officer in the United States, taking a knee on the pitch before Premier League games was standard practice.
FIFA, which encouraged kneeling, must now decide whether to support some of its most powerful member federations in a move that might put Qatar in the public eye.
The Welsh soccer federation released a statement saying, "A request to FIFA has also been submitted asking that permission be obtained for the armbands to be worn throughout the FIFA World Cup."
FIFA did not respond to the request right away.
The Dutch federation, which created the OneLove campaign, was initially supported by the European soccer governing body UEFA.
This week's Nations League matches will also include armbands, and both leaders will wear them when Belgium hosts Wales on Thursday.
At European Championship games last year, including one against tournament co-host Hungary, whose politicians approved anti-gay laws during the competition, UEFA previously let Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to wear a rainbow captain's armband.
One day after the Emir of Qatar spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York, guaranteeing a World Cup without discrimination, the armband campaign was started.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani promised other world leaders in a speech that "the Qatari people will welcome with open arms football lovers from all walks of life."
Belgium and Denmark were two of the eight European teams supporting the "OneLove" campaign for human rights. Croatia, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, and Spain were the five European nations that had qualified for the World Cup but did not compete on Wednesday.
However, two-time FIFA world player of the year and Poland captain Robert Lewandowski announced last week that he would travel to Qatar wearing an armband with the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine.
Poland declined to take against Russia, the nation hosting the 2018 World Cup, in a playoff game in March. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, UEFA and FIFA prohibited Russian soccer teams from participating in international competitions before the game.
A panel of UEFA member federations was keeping track of Qatar's progress on labor law reforms and other human rights issues before to the tournament when the campaign for the armbands began.
On the day of the tournament draw, during the annual FIFA meeting held in March in Doha, the head of the Norwegian soccer federation, Lise Klaveness, gave a harsh critique of the Qatari scheme.
England and Wales were among the federations who recognized Qatar's advancements on Wednesday after the affluent emirate won the vote to host the World Cup in December 2010.
However, the English federation announced that some migrant employees would meet with players at its training facility in Al Wakrah.
England has also joined to the support for FIFA and World Cup organizers compensating the families of construction workers who died or were hurt while helping to build stadiums, metro lines, and hotels in Qatar that was also expressed in Germany this week.
According to Amnesty International, FIFA should provide reparations totaling $440 million to match the awards given to the 32 teams competing in Qatar.
An invited gay fan seized the stage at a German federation function on Monday to implore the ambassador of Qatar to repeal laws prohibiting homosexuality. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, the ambassador, worried that the event was being jeopardized by concerns about human rights.
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