Seven teams give up the 'One Love' bracelet for fear of FIFA "sports sanctions" on their captains

MADRID, 21 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The captains of the teams from England, Germany, the Netherlands, Wales, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland will finally not wear the captain's armband with the protest and inclusive message 'One Love' ('One Love') for fear of the "sports" sanctions that may fall on their carriers.

In a joint statement, the federations of these national teams warned that the governing body has been "very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions" if their captains go out on the pitch with these bracelets.

"As national associations, we cannot put our players in a position where they can face sporting sanctions, including booking, so we have asked captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in World Cup matches." they added.

The agencies made it clear that they were "prepared to pay the fines that are normally" applied in these cases and that they had "a firm commitment" to wear this bracelet. "However, we cannot put our players in a situation where they can be booked or even forced to leave the pitch," they reiterated.

"We are very frustrated by FIFA's decision, which we believe is unprecedented: we wrote to them in September informing them of our desire to wear the 'One Love' armband to actively support inclusion in football, and we received no response. Our players and coaches are disappointed: they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show their support in other ways."