Football federations who had planned to wear the ‘OneLove’ armbands to make a statement against discrimination during the World Cup in Qatar were faced with extreme blackmail that led to dropping the planned action, the German Football Association (DFB) has said. The FA recently had its say via a press statement, and fans have been reacting.
According to Germany‘s media director, Steffen Simon, England, who had been the first team to be expected to wear it on Monday in their game against Iran was seriously threatened with multiple sporting sanctions if they went through with it.
The German Football Association added that the nations eventually lost the armband, and it is a very painful reality for all.
His words, “The tournament director went to the English team and talked about multiple rule violations and threatened with massive sporting sanctions without specifying what these would be,”
“We lost the armband and it is very painful but we are the same people as before with the same values. We are not impostors who claim they have values and then betray them,”
“We were in an extreme situation, in an extreme blackmail and we thought we had to take that decision without wanting to do so.”
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