In recent days, the "rainbow armband" incident, the drama has escalated again. It is reported that FIFA on Sunday (20) to England and other countries FA issued a strict order, if the players wear "rainbow armband" in the game, will face punishment, and may even be preceded by a yellow card warning. On the eve of the match between England and Iran, in just three hours, the teams have issued a statement announcing the abandonment of the wearing of the action, and instead asked the captains to wear the "rainbow armband".
Nine Final Week teams have previously expressed their support for the "One Love" campaign, which aims to spread anti-discrimination messages and support sexual minorities. However, homosexual acts are considered a criminal offense in Qatar. Although England captain Harry Carney and Germany's Neua said they would continue to wear it, the teams compromised and abandoned the campaign on Tuesday (21) following FIFA's ban.
Players who accumulate two yellow cards in the group stage of this World Cup will face a one-match suspension. This rule puts the captains of the nine national teams at risk of suspension and has been a key reason for them abandoning the operation. The Dutch FA expressed their displeasure in a statement, "As an FA, we cannot allow players to face penalties such as yellow cards and therefore asked the captains not to wear the 'rainbow armband', but we are disappointed with FIFA's decision."
The Sun even reported that the English FA is worried that FIFA will take a "strong-arm approach" to forcibly remove the players' "rainbow armbands". England team leader Xiu Fu Ji said: "I know that a number of European FAs are communicating with FIFA, hoping to find a satisfactory solution."
