Before England vs. Iran – Kneeling, but confusion over “One Love” armband

Status: 11/21/2022 10:19 am

The English national team want to take a knee before their World Cup opener against Iran. There are conflicting reports about wearing the “One Love” captain’s armband.

England want to use their World Cup opener against Iran for a political signal. National coach Gareth Southgate announced that his players will kneel before the first Group B match. The “Three Lions” want to kneel before kick-off, a symbolic gesture of protest against racism.

Southgate: “That’s what we stand for as a team”

We talked about taking the knee within the teamsaid Southgate.We feel we should do that. Because we as a team stand for certain values ​​- and have done so for a long time.”

His team had shown the gesture after the Corona lockdown in 2020 up to the Nations League games in September in 33 games in a row across all competitions. In the English Premier League, kneeling is only practiced before certain games and big occasions. Southgate said: “I understand this attitude. But we believe that a World Cup is the greatest thing ever.”

The English national team wants to be world champions in Qatar. For Gareth Southgate it will be particularly important to get the attack around goalscorer Harry Kane in shot.

Southgate: “A strong statement”

At the same time, the 52-year-old announced that his team would kneel in all other English games in Qatar. “We think it’s a strong statement and will go around the world. We want to show young people in particular that inclusion is very important“Said Southgate.

Is Kane wearing the “One Love” armband?

Whether Englan’s captain Harry Kane will wear the “One Love” armband against Iran remains to be seen. The striker announced on Sunday (November 20th, 2022) that he wanted to wear them. But according to English media reports, the English Football Association FA fears “sporting sanctions” from the world association FIFA, such as a yellow card for Kane.

Will Wales also drop out?

Association boss Mark Bullingham spoke in a radio interview of a dynamic situation. Wales, which meets the USA in the evening (8 p.m.), could also withdraw at short notice after the threat of sanctions.

Kane had claimed on Sunday that he wanted to set an example. “The FA is in talks with FIFA. We think the gesture is important. So we made it clear that we want to do it‘ the attacker had said. Southgate, who was wearing the bandage, had Kane backing him upa strong signal” sees.

There has been a long-standing debate about the armband. The bandage shows a colorful heart and the slogan “One Love”. The action comes from the association of the Netherlands and is intended to be a sign against homophobia, anti-Semitism, racism and for human rights and women’s rights. Seven teams had originally announced that they would wear the bandage at the World Cup. FIFA wants to prevent the symbolic action, but the associations resist.

ttn-9