The captains of many national football teams want to send a clear signal against discrimination and for diversity with a colorful armband at the controversial World Cup in Qatar. France’s captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris does not. His reasoning raises questions.
Manuel Neuer and the captains of other national teams in Qatar want to set an example for diversity and human rights with a multicolored One Love captain’s armband. The fact that France, of all countries, as the country of freedom is giving up and wants to do without the armband at the World Cup, is now a topic of conversation. No, he will not wear the bandage, he has made it clear, emphasized France captain Hugo Lloris.
He wants to respect the host country, which has been heavily criticized internationally, and supports the President of the French Football Association (FFF), Noël Le Graët, who spoke out against the bandage, he had explained the previous evening. “When you welcome foreigners in France, you want them to follow our rules and respect our culture. I will do the same when I go to Qatar. You can’t agree with that, but I will show respect,” he said Lloris at a press conference in the afternoon. “Before you do anything, you need the approval of FIFA and the FFF. On this matter, I have my personal opinion, which coincides with that of the President.”
At the end of September, the DFB announced the joint campaign with other top nations. “One Love” is written on the multicolored captain’s armband. The color scheme was criticized because it did not represent the rainbow flag. Neuer wore such a captain’s armband during the 2021 European Championship. The rainbow is considered a symbol of freedom for the LGBTIQ* community. The English abbreviation stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer people, the asterisk is a placeholder for other identities and genders.
Despite the waiver of the One Love armband, the French national team took a clear position on Tuesday in favor of respect for human rights and against any form of discrimination. In an open letter, the “Bleus” announced that they would financially support the use of non-governmental organizations for human rights. “We also recognize that football has a responsibility to ensure human rights are respected, as is our environment, and that each of us must play our part,” the letter said.
With the captain’s waiver of the one-love armband, France is definitely avoiding snubbing its important economic partner Qatar. Qatar recently made the French group Total the first international partner in the world’s largest liquid gas project. In spring, the country initiated a strategic dialogue with Qatar – the focus should be on energy, defense and investments in the economy. As the newspaper “Le Monde” reported, Qatar was displeased that a number of major French cities decided to boycott the public viewing of the World Cup, also to protest against human rights violations in the country.
