For several minutes, in the grandstand of the Khalifa International Stadium, the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, left her arm with the rainbow bracelet and the inscription “One Love” (Um amor, in Portuguese) that FIFA intended to banish from the World Cup pitches in Qatar, a country where homosexuality is a crime.

Faeser’s decision is not surprising – on Tuesday he had even said that he considered that “Banning a message of love is a big mistake by FIFA” – but made even more relevant by the fact that the German official was sitting next to Gianni Infantino, the president of the body that oversees world soccer, with the symbol of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in full view. FIFA’s top official also attended the protest by the German team, whose players covered their mouths when the team photo was taken.

It was already on Monday, the second day of the World Cup, that the federations of seven countries -England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland- revealed that FIFA “impose sports sanctions” if the captains wore armbands on the field. To show some openness, the organization anticipated the campaign “No to discrimination” so that the captains of the 32 teams can wear a bracelet with a statement with a message in favor of human rights.

Protests in Danish and English

FIFA’s decision does not diminish the protests, although it prevented the “rainbow” from entering the field. On Tuesday, in another stall for women, former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt he watched the match between his country’s national team and Tunisia with the colors of the rainbow in his arms.

Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt sticking to #Qatar Y #FIFAwearing the colors of the rainbow upon arrival at the Qatar Stadium. pic.twitter.com/OdgnmjebWl

—Frank I am???? (@_frankiam) November 22, 2022

“It’s a very sad situation. The federation [dinamarquesa] He fought from day one for something to be done in FIFA”, he declared quoted by the Danish press. “I am happy for the seven associations that we have worked together on this, but maybe it is time to play football, which does not mean that we stop fighting for LGBT rights. It is worth remembering that only seven of the 221 FIFA member countries thought it was a good idea,” he added.

On Monday, and despite the fact that the British team chose not to wear the armband, BBC sports commentator Alex Scott, herself a former England international, took a position???????? The former soccer player put the bracelet on her arm and it was with him that she was on the field of the Khalifa International Stadium for the preview of England’s debut in the World Cup, against Iran.

Alex Scott, former England international and BBC commentator, on the pitch of the Iran-England stadium wearing the rainbow armband banned by FIFA. pic.twitter.com/q3omDF0fhf

— Pedro Barata (@pbarata95) November 21, 2022

Scott did not mention wearing the bracelet during pregame television coverage, as noted by journalist Kelly Somers. The message took on particular significance as the former international revealed, in a recently released autobiography, that she had been in a nearly decade-long relationship with her teammate Kelly Smith.