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Manuel Neuer and the "One Love" armband: Fear of a warning
Photo:
Markus Ulmer / team photo / IMAGO
After the threat of sanctions by Fifa, the German Football Association renounced the "One Love" captain's armband for Manuel Neuer.
After consultations between the working group of the European Football Union Uefa and the world football association Fifa, the Uefa nations involved decided that they did not want to take the risk of a possible yellow card or other sporting sanctions during the World Cup in Qatar.
"Fifa has made it very clear that if our captains wear the bandages on the field, they will impose sporting sanctions," they said in a joint statement.
Germany's captain is Manuel Neuer, England's Harry Kane, the Netherlands' leader is Virgil van Dijk.
Fifa justified the ban with the World Cup regulations.
In a statement, the association explicitly emphasized Article 13.8.1 of the equipment rules: "For Fifa final competitions, the captain of each team must wear an armband provided by Fifa." Fifa supports campaigns such as "One Love", but this must be Within the framework of all known rules.
»Against the spirit of sport«
"The fact that Fifa wants to punish us on the pitch is unique and goes against the spirit of sport, which unites millions," said the Dutch association KNVB.
“We stand by the 'One Love' message and will continue to spread it, but our number one priority is winning games.
You don't want the captain to start the game with a yellow card." The DFB has announced a statement for 2 p.m.
Van Dijk had already announced on Sunday that he might not want to take the risk of a yellow card for wearing the bandage.
The KNVB regretted that no joint solution had been found.
A "critical look at our relationship with Fifa" will be taken in the coming months.
The "One Love" campaign was a joint effort by teams from Germany, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Wales, France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, both of which have not qualified for the World Cup.
France captain Hugo Lloris recently announced that he would not wear the bandage.
Fifa only presented its own new captain's armbands on Friday - two days before the opening game.
The fan organization "Football Supporters Europe" sharply criticized the process.
"Today we feel contempt for an organization that has proven its true values by showing players yellow cards and tolerance a red card," tweeted FSE.
bka/dpa
