Debates about the captain’s armband have characterized the past tournaments. At the home European Championship, the DFB’s course is clear: black, red and gold in the test matches, official UEFA armband in the European Championship matches.
After the many debates about the captain’s armband at the past major football tournaments, the DFB has decided on a clear course of action for the European Championship. Ilkay Gündogan will lead the German team onto the pitch at the home tournament wearing the official UEFA armband, as the German Football Association confirmed.
In the European Championship test matches against Ukraine on June 3 in Nuremberg and on June 7 in Mönchengladbach against Greece, which are still pending before the tournament begins, the armband will again be black, red and gold. The DFB can decide this itself in these matches. For the European Championship tournament, the national associations could also request their own design from UEFA. However, no participating nation has reportedly done so yet.
At the last European Championship finals in 2021, the then DFB captain Manuel Neuer wore a rainbow armband, which led to UEFA investigations. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the dispute over the One Love armband as a symbol of human rights escalated. The world association FIFA threatened harsh sanctions before the first tournament game. As a result, several associations from Europe, including the DFB, dispensed with the One Love armband.
As a result of the heated debate about armbands, the DFB had already decided last year that the captain should lead the national team onto the pitch wearing black, red and gold on his upper arm if possible. The “Bild” newspaper had raised the DFB’s armband plans again 17 days before the DFB selection’s opening match of the European Championship in Munich against Scotland.
Source: Stern
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