Leeds United fan group blasts FIFA and 'spineless' FA ahead of England v Iran in Qatar World Cup

England was one of a number of teams whose captain was due to wear the armband in a display of solidarity for the LGBT+ community in a country where homosexuality is still illegal. But amid reports of sporting sanctions, which only began to emerge as the 2022 tournament dawned, the FA has climbed down on the plans to have Harry Kane wear the armband over fears he would be booked upon taking the field against Iran.

A joint statement from England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland said: “FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. As national federations, we can't put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.

"We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play. We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented - we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response. Our players and coaches are disappointed - they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways."

FIFA’s interjection has prompted anger from Leeds fan group Marching Out Together, who previously criticised the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar in a statement that read: “Qatar is stained and devalued by the denial of LGBT+ equalities, just as it is by the awful abuse of the construction workers and the corruption of the commercial process. No amount of glossy videos or rainbow-rebranding of the pitchside ads can wash out that stain.”

Responding to the FA’s u-turn on the rainbow armband, the Whites LGBTQ+ group said the world game’s governing body have only succeeded in highlighting their own hypocritical stance on equality and lambasted the FA’s stance on the issue.

A spokesperson said: “Far from focusing on the football, FIFA are further exposing their own hypocrisy and disregard for equalities and human rights. Having initially tried to justify the Qatar World Cup as an opportunity to broaden the discussion about inclusion and LGBTQ+ rights their late intervention on armbands (and sadly the FA's spineless compliance) is yet another sorry example of why we still need to defend the LGBTQ+ community, and fight for equality in football and wider society.”