The world football association Fifa presented eight captain’s armbands on Friday, with which the players at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (July 20 to August 20) can lead their team onto the field. Under the “Football unites the world” campaign, eight messages with social concerns are to be disseminated. Fifa announced that the selection was made in close consultation with all 32 participating nations, players and various interest groups. Each country can choose one of the eight bandages, during the tournament it is also possible to switch.
The bandage with the inscription “United for Inclusion” is identical to the “One Love” bandage, at least in terms of the color combination, which was not approved for the 2022 men’s World Cup. At the tournament in Qatar there was a big controversy about the use of this bandage. Eight nations, including Germany, wanted to set an example with this captain’s armband. However, FIFA did not allow it to be worn. Basically, the captain’s armband is part of the official equipment and is specified by FIFA for FIFA tournaments (item 13.8.1).
The controversial one love armband.
(Photo: Adam Davy/dpa)
On the other seven variants are the messages “United for Indigenous Peoples”, “United for Gender Equality”, “United for Peace”, “United for Education for All”, “United against Hunger”, “United against Violence against Women”. ” and “Football means joy, peace, love, hope and passion”. These are single color with white writing. “Football unites the world and our global events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup have the unique power to bring people together and spread joy, enthusiasm and passion,” said Fifa President Gianni Infantino: “But football can do even more he is bringing very important social issues into focus.”
DFB captain Alexandra Popp usually plays with the rainbow armband – this is also allowed in tournaments of the European football association Uefa.
(Photo: Dylan Martinez/Reuters)
The German captain Alexandra Popp recently confirmed her desire to continue playing with the rainbow armband at the World Cup, but at the same time was open to alternatives. “We discussed the fact that we really want to play with it. But we’re also completely fine with it if we play with a different pad afterwards,” emphasized the 32-year-old during preparation for the World Cup in Herzogenaurach.