In opposition to FIFA’s decision to forbid captains from donning the “One Love” armband in Qatar, German players covered their mouths for a team photo prior to their World Cup debut against Japan.
According to a tweet from the team’s English-language Twitter account, “It wasn’t about making a political statement.” It asserted that human rights are inalienable. “That ought to be common knowledge, but it still isn’t. We value this message greatly because of this.”
The seven nations that had originally planned to wear the armband, a pro-LGBTQ+ emblem in a nation where homosexuality is a crime, backed down only two hours before England’s opening match on Monday after Fifa threatened athletic punishments, including a yellow card for the captain.
The German national team’s federation was considering legal action against Fifa on the eve of their opening game due to concerns that the global organization had not adhered to its own rules. A member of those countries was Germany.
