German players staged a spectacular protest at the World Cup.
16:11•Updated 16:12
The German team made a joint statement before the soccer World Cup match against Japan. Every player in the starting line-up covered his mouth with his hand when the team posed for a group photo before the start of the match.
The rally was not shown on international television.
The reason for the statement was the decision of the international football association Fifa to ban the use of the OneLove captain’s armband with the rainbow logo. Several European teams had planned to use the tape in the World Cup.
Fifa threatened the teams with a warning, i.e. giving a yellow card right at the start of the game, if the armband was prohibited.
– We wanted to use our captain’s armband to express the values we have in the German national team: diversity and mutual respect. Together with other countries, we want our voice to be heard, writes the German Football Association On Twitter (you will switch to another service).
– This was not about making a political statement, human rights cannot be discussed. They should be self-evident, yet they are not. That is why this message is so important to us. Denying an armband is the same as denying our voice. We stand our ground.
In the stands, the German Minister of the Interior follows the match By Nancy Faeser on his sleeve is the OneLove ribbon banned by Fifa from players. German captain Manuel Neuer wears a tape that says “no discrimination” in the match. A similar ribbon has been worn in previous World Cup matches by, for example, the captain of Wales Gareth Bale and Denmark’s captain Christian Eriksen.
The photos reveal that the assistant referee of the match went to check Neuer’s captain’s armband before the kick-off.
In Qatar, the host country of the World Cup, the position of sexual and gender minorities is difficult. Homosexuality is prohibited in the country.
The OneLove campaign was started by Holland during the 2021 European Championship when they wanted to send a message against discrimination. The European football association Uefa therefore gave permission for the captain’s armband with the rainbow logo in the European Championship and this autumn’s Nations League matches.