After the “One Love” captain’s ribbon was not accepted by the world association FIFA, seven European nations declared their waiver on Monday. Decisive for the decision was an official threat from FIFA that any player playing with the ribbon would be punished with a yellow card, such as the Dutch association (KNVB) announced.
“The fact that FIFA wants to punish us on the pitch is unique and goes against the spirit of sport, which unites millions,” said the KNVB. “We stand by the One Love message and will continue to spread it, but our number one priority is to win games. You don’t want the captain to start the game with a yellow card.” The KNVB regretted that no joint solution had been found. They will take a “critical look at our relationship with FIFA” in the coming months.
England, Germany, Wales, Denmark, Belgium and Switzerland also do without the loop. France’s captain Hugo Lloris had recently announced that he would not wear them.
Source: Nachrichten
