Milan and Denmark defender Simon Kjaer blasted FIFA for the ‘ridiculous’ situation barring them from wearing a One Love armband in favour of LGBTQI+ rights in the Qatar World Cup, but explains why he couldn’t defy the order.
The issue has dominated coverage of the tournament, where homosexuality is still illegal, as FIFA waited until the last minute to warn nations that they would face more than a mere fine for wearing the personalised armbands.
Instead, the captains would receive a yellow card at the starting whistle for having the ‘illicit’ piece of clothing in an official FIFA occasion.
“People say I should’ve risked it and worn it anyway, but that’s easy to say,” explained Kjaer after the opening 0-0 draw with Tunisia.
“If I get booked after five minutes, I leave my team down to 10 men immediately. I cannot put my team at a disadvantage like that.”
Even if the captains did manage to avoid a second yellow card during the match, they would still get banned for every two bookings, forced to miss much of the tournament.
“It is ridiculous that FIFA puts us in this situation. Banning any connection with the message at all is just completely against where I come from, how I grew up and the values I hold. It just doesn’t make sense.”
There are reports today that the German federation is taking legal action to sue FIFA for the ban, with nations including England and the Netherlands hoping to join in.
“I think there are many countries that are on the same page and they should join forces,” continued Kjaer.
“Then I believe change could be possible. Someone needs to do something about this.”
The ban on any symbolism in favour of LGBTQI+ rights is extending to colours in Belgium’s warm-up kit and even hats brought in by fans with a rainbow.
Kjaer also confirmed that Denmark had wanted to warm up in a shirt with a message about human rights, but again FIFA clamped down.