England and other nations will wait to see how they could be punished by FIFA before deciding whether or not to support the ‘OneLove’ anti-discrimination campaign at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It was decided before the tournament that England captain Harry Kane and captains from eight other countries would wear the armband throughout the tournament as a nod of support to anti-discrimination and the LGBTQ+ community.
In the time since FIFA have told the nations to not wear the armband and instead wear FIFA’s campaign for the World Cup around their arms – which was launched on the eve of the tournament.
England and other nations have not yet decided what to do and according to The Athletic, the Three Lions will wait to see how they could be punished by FIFA before deciding whether or not to support the ‘OneLove’ anti-discrimination campaign at the 2022 World Cup.
The report states that a fine is something that England are prepared to accept for wearing the armband, but it has not yet been decided how the FA would proceed if it was threatened with sporting sanctions.
Sky Sports are reporting that Harry Kane and the other captains could receive a yellow card before kick-off for wearing the armband during a match as one form of punishment, which is not sustainable as players would eventually be suspended for accumulating too many cards.
The Athletic states that Germany captain Manuel Neuer said he would continue to wear his ‘OneLove’ armband regardless of any punishment, while Wales are also planning for Gareth Bale to wear the design against the United States.