What was the point: Feyenoord captain Orkun Kökçü did not want to wear the ‘One Love’ captain’s armband. There’s a rainbow on that tape, and given his religious beliefs, he wasn’t comfortable with that. He wrote in a statement that he nevertheless respected everyone.
At Studio Voetbal this was discussed in about five minutes. In those five minutes, the word “respect” was heard nineteen times.
Afellay: ‘You have to respect this, because he speaks openly that he has respect.’
Van Hooijdonk: ‘Yes, I respect his choice, but I don’t understand it.’
Afellay: ‘That’s possible, I respect that too… and understand.’
They couldn’t figure it out, and no one mentioned that Kökçü had unintentionally done the LGBTI community a favor. By not wearing that band, he at least made it clear that wearing the ‘One Love’ band is not an empty act.