The Women’s World Cup Is Brewing On The Pro-LGBTQ+ OneLove Bracelet
March 30, 2023No decision has yet been made on whether players will be allowed to wear the pro-LGBTQ+ OneLove bracelet at the Women’s World Cup in July, world governing body FIFA said.
At the men’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022, teams were banned from wearing the armband, with threats that deviant players would be cautioned and risk missing a game later in the tournament.
This was due to the country’s lack of LGBTQ+ rights and extreme views on queer life.
Ahead of the Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, the German Football Association (FA) has already questioned whether the armbands will be allowed at the upcoming event, as ‘UK Sport News’ report.
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A FIFA spokesman told Sky Sports: “At a team workshop, FIFA was asked about kit and competition regulations in relation to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
“FIFA would like to reiterate that no decision has yet been made regarding armbands [and] remains committed to an ongoing dialogue with players and member associations.”
At the men’s tournament in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, players and captains were told they could face a yellow card if they wore a non-FIFA approved armband.
A joint statement from the football associations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland said at the time: “FIFA has made it very clear that if our captains wear the armbands on the pitch, they will impose sporting sanctions play.
“As national federations we cannot put our players in a situation where they face sporting sanctions including warnings, so we have asked the captains not to try to wear the armbands at World Cup matches.”
The English FA were prepared to pay a fine to allow captain Harry Kane to wear the armband, but when the tournament got underway on 20 November 2022 it emerged the skipper would also be booked, a risk the Association did not want to take.
At the World Cup, FIFA also reportedly held “urgent talks” with Qatar after a number of fans, including former Wales captain Laura McAllister, were reportedly asked to remove rainbow items before entering stadiums.
Eventually, FIFA was forced to reverse its attempt to ban rainbow-coloured clothing.
England women’s captain Leah Williamson announced in February that the Lionesses want to wear OneLove armbands at the World Cup.
The Lionesses have shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community on numerous occasions and Williamson wore a rainbow armband as the team triumphed at Euro 2022. The England women’s national team includes several queer players.
After Czech player Jakub Jankto publicly came out as gay, Williamson said it was “not even a question” for the England women’s national team to show their support by wearing the armbands.
“Showing solidarity with this is important to us, but we have always done it and we will continue to do so,” she said.
“[It’s] not just football, we also try to have a positive impact on society and that’s one of the ways we can do that.”
The OneLove campaign – which opposes all forms of discrimination – launched the bracelets in 2020 as part of a campaign by footballers in the Netherlands.
Read related myGwork articles here:
UK Sports Minister Wears OneLove Armband
FIFA Tells Belgium To Remove Word “Love” On World Cup Kits
England Expect To Be Fined For Harry Kane Wearing “One Love” Armband At World Cup
BBC Reporter Wears OneLove Armband After European Teams Refuse
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