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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Qatar is notoriously anti-LGBTQ, and gay marriage is criminalized in the country. It has also arrested members of the LGBTQ community according to Human Rights Watch. The way Qatar has handled hosting the World Cup has sparked widespread controversy, with some boycotting the event altogether.
"We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented," the teams said, adding that they "will show support in other ways."
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