Players will be permitted to wear a FIFA-approved armband in the One Love colours at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
FIFA banned nations from wearing the rainbow-coloured armband at last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar and warned they could face sanctions that, according to the governing body’s rulebook, included automatic yellow cards.
After discussions with the 32 participating nations at this summer’s tournament, FIFA has provided eight armbands supporting different social causes, in partnership with the United Nations. FIFA was in discussions with the English FA over the issue earlier this year.
One of the armbands carries the message “Unite for Inclusion” and features the One Love colours. FIFA has emphasised that the colours are not those of the rainbow LGBTQ+ flag but have been inspired by the “Pan-African flag and the pansexual flag to symbolise race and heritage and all gender identities and sexual orientations”.
Players are permitted to wear this armband at the Women’s World Cup as it is FIFA approved, while the One Love armband designed for the 2022 tournament in Qatar was not approved by football’s world governing body.
Teams can choose to wear either FIFA’s “Football Unites the World” armband throughout the tournament, one of the eight FIFA armbands that correspond to the cause of their choice, or a different armband each game corresponding to the theme of each matchday.
The eight FIFA-approved armbands for the Women’s World Cup (Photo: FIFA)
Ahead of the Qatar World Cup, the captains of 10 countries had agreed to wear the One Love armband, which was designed to promote diversity and inclusion. On the eve of the tournament, though, FIFA launched its own armband initiative instead, asking captains to wear a different armband on each match day, promoting various social messages. An armband featuring the One Love colours was not included.
England captain Leah Williamson, who will miss the tournament through injury, had stressed her desire to wear the One Love armband, having worn a rainbow armband at Euro 2022.
“The statement that was made at the Euros with every team participating was incredible, every picture we have with a trophy lift there’s a rainbow armband in there,” she said earlier this year.
“It’s a great stage and a great time to promote the values we believe in so much, so I hope it’s the same (at the World Cup).
“We’re never shy in saying what we stand for, we’re a squad that promotes inclusivity and equality, we obviously have a number of people that feel very strongly about it.”
The eight messages on the FIFA-approved armbands at the Women’s World Cup are: “Unite for Inclusion”, :Unite for Indigenous Peoples”, “Unite for Gender Equality”, “Unite for Peace”, “Unite for Education for All”, “Unite for Zero Hunger”, “Unite for Ending Violence Against Women” and “Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope & Passion”.
The Women’s World Cup begins in Australia and New Zealand on July 20.
Why was the One Love armband banned at the Qatar World Cup?
Captains from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Wales, Sweden and Switzerland had planned to wear the One Love armband in Qatar.
The armband is part of an anti-discrimination campaign initially started by the Dutch Football Association before Euro 2020 and made no specific reference of homophobia nor any other form of discrimination. National team captains had previously spoke publicly about wanting to wear the armbands in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are criminalised.
On the eve of the tournament, FIFA launched its own armband initiative and countries were threatened with sporting sanctions if they wore the One Love armband. This was because the armband was not FIFA-approved and, according to world football’s governing body, not because of the cause it represented.
Why can players wear an armband in the One Love colours at the Women’s World Cup?
The distinction between the One Love armband from the Qatar World Cup and the “Unite for Inclusion” armband that can be worn in Australia and New Zealand is that the “Unite for Inclusion” armband is FIFA-approved. In this respect, it is similar to the armbands introduced by FIFA on the eve of the 2022 tournament representing various social causes.
FIFA did not provide an armband in One Love colours for the 2022 World Cup due to the short timeframe between the introduction of their own armband initiative and the beginning of the tournament. The 10 nations had announced their plans to wear the armband in September 2022, two months before the tournament began.
Do captains have to wear the Unite for Inclusion armband at the Women’s World Cup?
Captains are not obliged to wear the Unite for Inclusion armband at the Women’s World Cup. Countries can choose which FIFA approved armband to wear at the tournament and can either wear a different armband on each matchday or the same one throughout the tournament.
While women’s football is traditionally more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community that the men’s game, of the 32 countries competing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, homosexuality is illegal in Jamaica, Morocco, Nigeria and Zambia.
What’s been said about the armband at the Women’s World Cup?
Speaking in March, Mark Bullingham, CEO of the FA, stated he hoped a resolution over the armband would be reached early to prevent a repeat of the 2022 World Cup.
“We all had a lot to learn out of Qatar. I’m not pointing a finger at anyone in particular. I think we all had a lot to learn out of Qatar. We are determined that we don’t have that going into the summer,” said Bullingham.
“We’ve actually been speaking for a few weeks about how we avoid that situation and how we reach a position. I do think it’s important that players have an opportunity to have their voices heard.”
England midfielder Georgia Stanway reiterated Leah Williamson’s desire to wear the armband and said manager Sarina Wiegman would “100 per cent” support the team’s decision.
“If we can or can’t wear the armband, we know that we wanted to and we’ll stand by the fact that we wanted to,” Stanway said. “Whatever the outcome is, we’ll still stand by whatever we believed in and whatever we wanted to be the resolution.
“I feel like we’re at a place now where everybody could have their own individual opinion and we’re able to fight for what we believe in. Sarina (Wiegman) is with us 100 per cent, whatever we want to do she backs us. We make the final decision and Sarina comes with us.”
GO DEEPER
OneLove armband u-turn is a reminder that men’s football will not stand up for LGBT people
(Top photo: FIFA)
