7 World Cup teams abandon armbands in support of LGBTQ community following FIFA warning

Seven European World Cup teams have abandoned their plans to have their captains wear armbands in support of the LGBTQ community after FIFA announced they would be given a yellow card penalty if they did.

The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland intended to wear the bands in conservative host country Qatar, even willing to pay fines if necessary, however, were unwilling to let their players be penalized, The Washington Post reports. "As national federations, we can't put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings," the teams said in a statement.

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Devika Rao, The Week US

 Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.