Fact: The controversy over the “One Love” binder
The threat of sporting sanctions for wearing the ‘One Love’ captain’s armband during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar sparked strong reactions.
Seven teams – England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland – had planned to wear the ‘One Love’ armband during the World Cup.
The tie was intended as a stance for diversity and inclusion in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
First on the ground in Qatar, Fifa made announcements, but they were revised from one day to the next. On November 19, Fifa reportedly threatened fines if the “One Love” captain’s armband was used. The following day it was changed to threats of sporting penalties.
Fifa’s tone is said to have hardened even more on November 20, the same day England was to play their first game against Iran.
Fifa referred to an article in the equipment regulations, which states that the captains must use a captain’s armband issued by Fifa. The armband used during the World Cup bore the text “no discrimination”.
Seven national teams – including Germany, Belgium, Denmark and England – had planned to wear the “One Love” captain’s armband as a stand for diversity and inclusion during the World Cup in Qatar. A country where LGBTQI people are discriminated against, for example by having same-sex sex leads to prison.
After threats of sporting sanctions from the International Football Federation (FIFA), the seven nations bowed out. However, the announcement that the armband was not allowed and that team captains would receive a yellow card if they wore it during a match only came when the championship got under way in mid-November.
— I think it was very strange behavior on Fifa’s part. Based on the values I have, I don’t think that’s how you should act. To threaten with punishment if you wear a bandage in that way, says Sweden’s confederation captain Janne Andersson to TT.
Were affected
Andersson himself chose not to be there during the championship.
“It was a small decision on my part not to go there,” he says.
Andersson has several times during his time as national team captain received questions about how he sees the World Cup being decided in Qatar in particular.
— I have answered that a lot of times, I don’t think it’s okay that the WC was held there.
A Danish supporter wearing the team captain’s armband that Fifa banned players from wearing during the World Cup in Qatar in November-December last year. Archive image.
For example, Germany and Denmark underperformed in the WC and did not advance from their respective groups. Two Danish sports psychologists and the former assistant national team captain Peter Bonde believe that the Danish national team players were influenced by all questions about everything other than football before and during the championship.
— The players are people, after all. How can they concentrate on playing when people would rather talk about everything possible, said Peter Bonde to the news agency Ritzau some time after the Danish exit.
“They can’t just shut down.” They could have done that during the World Cup in Mexico in 1986 when there was no internet. Then they could go out and play table tennis in the garden and then they didn’t know what was going on in the world. But you can’t do that now, continued Bonde.
Andersson: “Equal for all”
Janne Andersson believes that the conditions were the same for all national teams.
— It is not just one nation that receives the questions. From my perspective, I think it’s the same for everyone. On the other hand, the focus is on the wrong things and it is of course important to be able to handle it, he says.
The Swedish national team players were also asked, during the World Cup qualifiers, about Qatar as the host country for the championship.
– During my time as confederation captain, this type of question has become more and more common. And I have every respect for them to be asked and I think the questions should be asked, says Janne Andersson.
TT: Are there too high demands on individual footballers or athletes in general to have an opinion on things like this?
— Too high, I don’t know, but we are not there as politicians or political scientists. But we are there to play football normally. You mustn’t forget that. Not everyone has to be politically interested, but on the other hand, I think that the vast majority of our players are interested in the world around them and have an opinion.
Not to Qatar
However, Andersson believes that not only athletes should be held accountable.
— After all, Sweden has cooperation and trade exchanges in many ways with many (controversial) countries and sometimes I can think that higher demands are placed on sports than on society in general. But it is a personal reflection, says Janne Andersson.
The January tour has been stopped for the past two winters due to the pandemic, but for 2022 it happened at short notice. At the time, the Swedish Football Association had actually intended to have the gathering in Qatar, but after criticism from the clubs in the Allsvenskan and Superettan, the association backed down.
Now the national team is instead gathered on the Algarve coast in Portugal for training matches against Finland (January 9) and Iceland (January 13).
— Now we are in Portugal and we have chosen it this year, and it feels great, says Janne Andersson.