Liverpool and Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk will reportedly not be wearing a OneLove armband at the 2022 World Cup after the Dutch national team bowed to pressure from FIFA.
Some players had been keen to take a stance against homophobia given that World Cup hosts Qatar have been a controversial choice for this tournament due to their anti-LGBTQI+ laws.
Being gay is illegal in the Gulf state, but it seems FIFA have been keen to pressure players not to stage even the most peaceful kind of protest at this tournament.
As a result, there was a threat to give yellow cards to captains donning the OneLove armband, and so Van Dijk has now decided against wearing it, according to De Telegraaf.
A statement from the Dutch national team said: “We deeply regret that it was not possible to reach a reasonable solution together. We stand for the OneLove message and will continue to spread it, but our number one priority at the World Cup is to win the games.
“Then you don’t want the captain to start the match with a yellow card. That is why we as a UEFA working group, KNVB and as a team have had to decide with pain in our hearts to abandon our plan.”
It remains to be seen what decision other countries and their captains will come to, but it would be refreshing to see players take a strong stance on this and show that some things are more important than football.