World Cup 2022: OneLove armbands 'divisive', says Qatari chief
- Published
German team cover mouths in team photo before Japan game
European nations wanting to wear OneLove captain's armbands are sending out a "divisive message", says Qatar World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi.
England and Wales were among seven countries to abandon plans to wear them during matches because players faced disciplinary action if they did so.
Wales' Gareth Bale and England's Harry Kane had planned to wear the armband to promote diversity and inclusion.
Al-Thawadi says it was not his decision to sanction sides for wearing it.
"It's a Fifa decision. I wasn't part of that discussion," Al-Thawadi told Talksport., external
"Their policy is they have their armbands representing inclusivity and a number of topics, sustainability, so on and so forth.
"I wasn't nervous about it, but for me, if a team decided to do it throughout the entire season, that is one thing.
"But if they are coming to make a point or a statement in Qatar, that is something I have an issue with.
"It goes back to the simple fact that this is a part of the world that has its own set of values. It is a part of the world - not Qatar, I'm talking about the Arab world.
"So if you're making a statement here in Qatar or specifically addressed to Qatar, and by extension the Islamic world, or course I take issue with that. It leaves a very divisive message."
The governing bodies - England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland - said they had written to Fifa in September informing them about the OneLove armband but had not received a response.
However, Germany players covered their mouths during the team photograph before their World Cup opener against Japan "to convey the message that Fifa is silencing" teams.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser wore the OneLove armband while sitting next to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, while BBC broadcaster Alex Scott also wore the armband live on air.
3LionsPride, an England fan group for LGBTQ+ supporters, said the decision, external was "more than disappointing", adding that captains' "basic rights to freedom of speech and expression" were being crushed by Fifa.
The Rainbow Wall, which represents Welsh LGBTQ+ fans, said it had "no faith" in Fifa following the decision.
Meanwhile, the UK's first openly gay sports minister, Stuart Andrew, said he will wear the armband, external at Tuesday's match between England and Wales game in Qatar.
Al-Thawadi added: "From day one, we have said everybody is welcome. We have also asked for people to come and respect our culture, our religion.
"It's not a Qatari culture or Qatari religion, these values are regional. It's for the Islamic world, the Arab world, the Middle East.
"We want everybody from every walk of life to come here and you've got people from every corner of the world engaging, educating themselves and having a good time.
"But when it comes to a topic like this, it is a complicated topic. This is something for us, or at least for this part of the world, that is a fundamental part of religious values.
"This is what we want. We want the world to see us, get to know us, understand us.
"We might not see eye-to-eye on everything, we might not agree on everything. There are some things we will not agree upon.
"But there is more than unites us, we have more common ground, and we need to find that common ground to find a way of saying, 'Let us find a way of co-existing and moving forward'.
"That is where mutual respect is fundamental."
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