•Netherlands one of seven teams to back down in armband row
•‘We just want to play football,’ says Dutch captain
Virgil van Dijk has hit back at claims the Netherlands and other countries have been spineless in the controversy over anti-discrimination armbands.
The Dutch were one of seven European teams, including England and Wales, who planned for their captains to wear the rainbow‑coloured OneLove armband at the World Cup.
The band is part of a year-long campaign but would have sent an especially significant message in Qatar, which criminalises same‑sex relationships. But the seven countries dropped their plans after Fifa threatened them with sporting sanctions including yellow cards for the captains if the bands were worn, instructing teams to wear a Fifa‑approved “no discrimination” band instead.
“We just want to play football. I would have loved to play with that band, but not at the expense of a yellow card.”
The England captain, Harry Kane, said he was disappointed not to be able to wear the band during his team’s opening win against Iran on Monday, while his teammate Jack Grealish said it was “a bit stupid” that Kane had been prevented from doing so.
The Football Association had been prepared to be fined over the band but its position – and that of the other associations – changed when it became apparent sporting sanctions were a possibility.
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FIFA their selves made a political choice and it is the wrong one. They support the value of authoritarian regimes, instead of freedom of thought.