A new strong image. After Denmark’s black jersey in training on Tuesday, the German players also wanted to send a message to Fifa. They ostensibly put their hands over their mouths in the team photo ahead of their World Cup opener against Japan on Monday. An apparent protest at threats of sporting sanctions from Fifa to prevent the wearing of the ‘One Love’ armband in Qatar.
The seven European federations, including Germany, which had planned to wear a colored “One Love” armband against discrimination, gave up on Monday in the face of the threat of “sports sanctions” by Fifa, which did not specify them. This threat has been widely criticized in Germany where many voices have been raised calling on Mannschaft players to defy it.
The German Football Federation (DFB), for its part, responded on Wednesday to threats of sanctions brandished by Fifa to prevent it from wearing the inclusive “One Love” armband. In a tweet, she wrote that “human rights are not negotiable”, ahead of the Mannschaft’s first game in the World Cup in Qatar.
“To forbid us to wear the blindfold is to forbid us to speak. Our position is clear, ”tweeted the DFB at the start of the match against Japan, which was attended by the president of the International Federation (Fifa), Gianni Infantino.