7 European teams participating in the 2022 World Cup announced that they had changed their decision to wear gay support badges during matches to avoid sanctions from the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA).
England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland issued a statement saying that "FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear (pro-gay) badges on the field. We cannot put our players in a position where they can face sporting sanctions (...) so We asked the captains not to try to wear the armbands at World Cup matches.
The captains of those teams sought to wear these armbands during the World Cup matches, but the International Football Association Board threatened to impose severe penalties on players if its regulations were violated.
"We were prepared to pay the fines normally applied to violations of the uniform regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the captain's armband," the teams said in their statement. "However, we cannot put our players in a situation where they may receive a warning or even be forced off the field."
"We are very disappointed with FIFA's decision... Our players and coaches are disappointed (...) and will show support in other ways," she added.
The World Cup matches began yesterday, Sunday, with an opening ceremony at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor district in Qatar, and will continue until December 18, with the final match being held at Lusail Stadium.