Germany players cover mouths in protest for World Cup photo

Captains of seven European teams had planned to wear the anti-discrimination armbands during the tournament in Qatar as part of a campaign for diversity, but backed down over the threat of disciplinary action from football's governing body, including yellow cards. The rainbow armbands had been viewed as a symbolic protest against laws in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

Germany's football federation said in a tweet moments after the photo protest that "human rights are not negotiable". "This is not a political position; human rights are not negotiable," the DFB tweeted. "To ban the armband is like banning our right to speak," the federation added.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was at the Khalifa International Stadium for the Germany-Japan match. The German government spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said earlier in the day in Berlin that FIFA's decision to bar captains from wearing the "OneLove" armbands was "very unfortunate". "The rights of LGBTQ people are non-negotiable," Hebestreit said at a regular press conference.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who was to attend the game in Doha against Japan, said FIFA's ban was a "huge mistake". Not only players, but fans should also be allowed to show pro-LGBTQ symbols "openly", she told reporters in Qatar.

Security staff at the World Cup have ordered spectators to remove items of clothing featuring rainbow logos. Supporters should however "make a decision for themselves" about whether they wanted to wear the symbols, Faeser said.

 

November 23, 2022