There are still four days until the German national team starts against Morocco in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. It is still unclear whether defense chief Marina Hegering and midfielder Lena Oberdorf will be fit in time – but one question has now been answered: which captain’s armband Alexandra Popp will wear on Monday (10.30 a.m., ZDF). “We will wear a single captain’s armband throughout the tournament: the one for ending violence against women,” she told a news conference in Wyong on Wednesday. “It’s just a huge issue, especially when it comes to domestic violence.”
The women’s team and the German Football Association (DFB) are already cooperating with UN Women, the United Nations organization that works for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. “That’s why we decided to show this theme clearly throughout the tournament,” said Popp. You can also change during the World Cup.
At the end of June, FIFA presented eight captain’s armbands for the World Cup. Each with a different message of solidarity for, for example, inclusion, indigenous peoples, education, peace, or against hunger. Each in the name of a different human rights organization and in a different colour. The selection was made in consultation with all 32 participating nations, players and various interest groups, it was said at the time. The captain’s armband is part of the official equipment and is specified by the world association for Fifa tournaments (item 13.8.1).
At the men’s World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022, there was a huge discussion about the captain’s armband. Eight nations – including Germany – wanted to set an example for diversity, tolerance and human rights with the colorful “One Love” bandage. The controversy accompanied the tournament even after it was banned by Fifa under threat of consequences. It is therefore particularly interesting that among the eight variants of the women’s World Cup, the armband with the inscription “United for Inclusion” with a heart in the same color is reminiscent of the armband that was banned in December.
The rainbow tie, which Popp otherwise wears at international matches, was also excluded with Fifa’s decision. It specifically symbolizes the support of the LGBTQI+ community. That was probably too political for Fifa, even in Australia and New Zealand. However, this did not trigger a major debate. And according to Popp, the choice of an alternative was made quite quickly in the German national team: “The diversity issue is our thing anyway, we’ve been doing it for years and will continue to do it,” she said. “It was very important to us to show another very important topic, which in parts is also neglected.”