Aussie footballer Josh Cavallo has blasted FIFA after it vowed to penalise World Cup players wearing OneLove armbands to promote inclusion and diversity.
Seven captains of European nations have abandoned plans to wear the rainbow-coloured bands in Qatar, a nation where same-sex relations are illegal.
Under a FIFA edict delivered on Monday, the captains would have received yellow cards.
“FIFA you have lost my respect,” Cavallo, who is openly gay, posted on social media.
“All the work we’re doing to make football more inclusive you have shown that football isn’t a place for everyone.”
England captain Harry Kane had intended to wear the OneLove armband. Photo: Getty
England’s Harry Kane was due to wear the OneLove armband in Monday’s game against Iran but didn’t.
The captains of Netherlands, Wales, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark were also expected to wear the armbands in the coming days but won’t.
German federation president Bernd Neuendorf said the move was an “outrageous demonstration of power from FIFA.”
The Dutch association said: “The fact that FIFA wants to punish us on the pitch is unprecedented and goes against the spirit of the sport that unites millions.”
Stony anthem silence
Meanwhile, Iranian players have shown solidarity with protesters in their home country by not singing the national anthem ahead of a match against England.
The brave act prompted an interruption in the TV feed in Iran where authorities interpreted it as being support of the anti-government movement engulfing the country.
In the stands some Iranian fans made thumbs-down gestures as the anthem was played, others wore shirts with the protesters’ slogan “Women, Life, Freedom”.
There has been unrest and violent police crackdowns in Iran since the death in September of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini who was being held by the morality police.
Tweet from @brfootball
There was soon controversy on the pitch too in the England-Iran match which England won 6-2.
Iran keeper Ali Bieranvand was knocked out in a clash of heads with his own defender Majid Hosseini but was allowed to continue despite looking very groggy.
Almost immediately he went down and was carried off on a stretcher.
UK brain injury charity Headway said allowing him to play on was “an utter disgrace” and “an abject failure” of the concussion protocol.
The long delay at least meant most of the fans who had been held up gaining entry due to problems with FIFA’s mobile ticket app were inside by the half-hour mark.
-with AAP
