” One Love “. This is what should be written on the rainbow armbands against discrimination against the LGBT + community. But FIFA banned their wearing during the World Cup in Qatar, under penalty of sanction.
Australian Josh Cavallo, one of the first footballers to publicly discuss his homosexuality, strongly attacked the decision on Tuesday. “You at FIFA, you have lost my respect,” he wrote on his Instagram account. “(In the face of) all the work that my allies and the LGBTQ+ community are doing to make football inclusive, you have demonstrated that football is not a place open to everyone,” he continued.
Seven European nations had planned to wear this colorful “One Love” armband at the World Cup. They gave up on Monday in the face of the threat of “sporting sanctions” brandished by FIFA. The world football body has warned, according to the Dutch federation, that if the captains of these seven nations wear an armband, they will receive a yellow card at kick-off.
Cavallo, who plays in the Australian Premier League for Adelaide United, came out as gay just over a year ago in October 2021. He is not in the ‘Socceroos’ squad. who participate in the World Cup and will face France this Tuesday (8:00 p.m.).
In another message, posted on his Twitter account, he also attacks the call that FIFA President Gianni Infantino made to the 32 qualified teams, urging them to “focus on football” . “It’s not the first time we’ve been told to ‘stick to football’. The attacks on the LGBTQ + community of World Cup leaders affect so many people who live in silence (…) To be a great leader in the sports world, you must never give up on bringing ALL people together”, he writes again . In vitriol.