The protest from the German football team took place in front of FIFA President Gianni Infantino who was present at the Khalifa International Stadium.

Germany endured a shocking 2-1 defeat in their FIFA World Cup 2022 opener against Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday. Even after dominating the proceedings early on, they had to surrender in front of the brilliance of Japanese footballers. However, the German players caught global attention with their strong protest against FIFA.

They covered their mouths with their right hands during the mandatory team photo before the game to express their dissatisfaction over their captain, Manuel Neuer, being forbidden to wear the “OneLove” armband at the ongoing Qatar World Cup.

Prior to the tournament, the captains of European nations like England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark had planned to don the armband which depicts a striped heart in various colours to reflect diverse heritages, backgrounds, genders, and sexual identities. However, on 21 November, the football governing body decried the move as homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. FIFA warned the countries that if any player on the pitch was spotted with the armband, he would be shown a yellow card immediately.

Germany coach Hansi Flick and football federation president Bernd Neuendorf strongly criticised FIFA’s announcement and the protest continued on the ground too. Soon after the kickoff of the Germany-Japan encounter, the German Football Federation (DFB) tweeted that FIFA had disallowed them from advocating at the World Cup for causes they were passionate about, which was why they were protesting.

The DFB wrote, “It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us. Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position.”

The protest took place in front of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was present at the stadium. DFB President Neuendorf and Germany’s interior and community minister Nancy Faeser both marked their presence in the stands sporting the “One Love” armband.

AE News