“It’s sad and unbelievable.” FIFA has no grounds to punish players

On Monday morning, the football federations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland issued a joint statement saying they had abandoned the idea of ​​team captains wearing armbands supporting LGBT people under pressure from FIFA.

All because of the world federation, which announced that players wearing such an armband can be punished with yellow cards even before the start of the match. “FIFA has made it clear that it will impose sporting sanctions on us if captains wear such armbands on the pitch. As federations, we cannot put players in a situation where they could receive yellow cards. We have asked captains not to wear such armbands during World Cup matches “, we read in the communiqué.

He continued: “We are prepared to pay the fines that would normally apply to infringements, but we cannot put players in a situation where they could be forced off the pitch.”

“It’s sad and unbelievable”

The federation’s decision caused by FIFA’s behavior resonated widely in social media. Fans and experts unanimously emphasized that this is yet another time when the world federation bowed to the pressure of the hosts of the tournament – Qatar – which notoriously violates human rights. Earlier, FIFA banned the Danes from training in T-shirts with an inscription reminding about breaking the law.

German football referee Patrick Ittrich dealt with the issue of the ban on wearing colored armbands. He is an arbitrator who has been officiating Bundesliga matches since 2016. Previously, he worked in its backroom and in the lower German leagues.

“I’m looking for the basis for the yellow card decision for colored wristbands… I can’t find them. It’s sad and unbelievable,” Ittrich wrote on Twitter. The German also shared a link to the FIFA website, where we read that the world federation supports the action against discrimination.

“FIFA President Gianni Infantino reaffirmed his support for the LGBTQI+ community during the World Cup in Qatar,” the text reads. – I spoke about this with the highest authorities of the host country of the tournament. They and I can confirm that everyone is welcome in Qatar. If someone says otherwise, it is definitely not the opinion of Qatar or FIFA,” Infantino said.