Wembley Stadium lit up in rainbow colours in response to FIFA’s OneLove armband ban
The Football Association lit up the Wembley Stadium arch in rainbow colours following the OneLove armband controversy. On 20 November, the Qatar World Cup officially commenced, with teams from all around the world congregating in the Gulf region.
However in the years leading up to the tournament, activists, fans and football professionals have expressed concerns over its location due to the country’s shocking treatment of LGBTQ+ citizens.
In Qatar, homosexuality is illegal and can be punished by penalties including flogging, imprisonment and even execution. As a way to show solidarity for the LGBTQ+ community, captains from England, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Germany football teams announced that they would be wearing the OneLove rainbow armband to showcase their support for LGBTQ+ rights.
However on 21 November, the teams announced that they would no longer be wearing the inclusive band in a joint statement with the FA. “FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play,” the teams revealed. “As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.” In response to the ban, the FA lit up Wembley Stadium’s arch in rainbow colours ahead of England’s match against the USA team. “Tonight, as the Three Lions take on USA, we are lighting the Wembley Stadium arch in rainbow colours to show our support for the inclusivity within our game.
