infantino says FIFA wants to ‘do better’ on the OneLove armband issue
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The OneLove armband sparked a political spat at the Qatar World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is committed to avoiding conflict over the OneLove captain’s armband at the Women’s World Cup, vowing to “be in position long before” the tournament begins.
Several national teams at the 2022 Qatar men’s World Cup, including Denmark, England and Germany, plan to support campaigns that promote inclusivity and oppose all discrimination.
Their captain had intended to wear OneLove logo armbands, but the team backed out when FIFA threatened a sporting sanction – expected to be a yellow card for the captain.
The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar drew criticism for the country’s attitude towards same-sex relations, as well as its treatment of migrant workers.
Australia and New Zealand will co-host the women’s tournament in July and August this year, and senior figures from both countries have questioned what they believe is FIFA’s intention to make the Saudi tourism authority the tournament sponsor.
Like Qatar, Saudi Arabia’s position on the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people has also been questioned by human rights groups. The two countries have been accused by critics of “sportwashing”, an attempt to enhance their international reputations by engaging closely with sport at the highest level.
Infantino was asked about the OneLove armband on Saturday, after a meeting of International Football Associations Council (IFAB) football lawmakers.
He said: “What I can say on the matter is I think we all went through a learning process there [at the Qatar World Cup].
“What we will try to do better this time is seek and seek dialogue with everyone involved – captains, federations, the players in general, FIFA – from around the world to capture different sensitivities, to explain, to exchange and see what could be done to express one’s position, values, or feelings without hurting another person.
“Positively, we are looking for dialogue and we will be in a position long before the Women’s World Cup, I hope so.”
Human rights group Amnesty International was among the bodies to flout FIFA’s position on Qatar.
Infantino was also asked about FIFA’s progress in reviewing its transgender eligibility policy.
The world governing body said last year it was reviewing its rules and seeking help from experts on the issue, which has become a huge debate across sport.
It remains to be seen whether players who identify as female but are born male will be allowed to play in the Women’s World Cup.
Infantino said: “There are no updates yet, but we also want to be as clear as possible as soon as possible, not leaving it to the end. On all these topics, we need to learn our lesson and be a bit quicker.” the world governing body said last year it was reviewing its rules and enlisting the help of experts on the issue, which has become a huge debate across sport.
It remains to be seen whether players who identify as female but are born male will be allowed to play in the Women’s World Cup.
Infantino said: “There are no updates yet, but we also want to be as clear as possible as soon as possible, not leaving it to the end. On all these topics we need to learn our lesson and be a bit quicker.”