Eleanor Corney
The UK’s first openly gay sports minister has worn a OneLove armband during the World Cup in Doha, amid the ongoing controversy over FIFA’s crackdown on captains who had intended to wear the armband.
Sports minister Stuart Andrew had taken to Twitter to state that he decided to wear the armband to support LGBTQ+ individuals. He tweeted: “Sport has the power to unite & inspire so it’s vital that all sporting events, such as the #FIFAWorldCup, are open & inclusive”.
Sport has the power to unite & inspire so it’s vital that all sporting events, such as the #FIFAWorldCup, are open & inclusive⁰⁰I’m wearing the #OneLove armband to support the LGBT community & send a positive message that everyone should feel welcome at all sport tournaments.
— Stuart Andrew (@StuartAndrew) November 29, 2022
In an interview with the Evening Standard, Andrew stated that he would wear the armband again at Tuesday’s match between England and Wales.
“Football has the power to unite people.”
The OneLove campaign started in 2020 in the Netherlands. The band intended to promote diversity and anti-discrimination under the slogan, “Football has the power to unite people.” This particular phrase was inspired by Nelson Mandela who, in 2000, said: “[Sport] It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
According to the Royal Dutch Football Association, the band’s design represents everyone’s pride in their heritage, race, gender identity and sexual orientation.
Seven captains of European national teams had backed out of wearing the OneLove armbands at the World Cup following a warning from FIFA.
According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not possess any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images during the games. The captains must wear the armbands provided by FIFA.
🚨 Stuart Andrew MP, the UK Sports Minister, is wearing the OneLove armband in Qatar. #NoPrideWithoutAll
(📸 Getty) pic.twitter.com/eBTnRDpqlN
— Pride in Football 🏳️🌈⚽️ (@PrideinFootball) November 29, 2022
Qatar’s World Cup chief has accused the European teams of disrespecting Middle Eastern culture through the OneLove campaign. Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the Qatar World Cup took issue with FIFA’s statement that he viewed to be specifically addressed to Qatar, and by extension the Islamic world.
He said, “If a team decided to do it throughout the entire season, that is one thing. But if they are coming to make a point or a statement in Qatar, that is something I have an issue with.”
Featured image courtesy of Jannes Glas on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
