FIFA has once again dismissed the possibility of wearing “OneLove” armbands, but at least provided some alternatives for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Soccer’s governing body turned down a request from several European national teams to allow the “OneLove” design on captain’s armbands during the 2022 men’s World Cup. That decision extends to this summer’s women’s tournament, but FIFA has come up with eight options for teams “after consultation with 32 participating teams, players and United Nations agencies.”
The eight captain’s armbands available are all connected to a United Nations (UN) branch, save for one linked to the World Health Organization (WHO):
- Unite for Inclusion (UN Human Rights)
- Unite for Indigenous Peoples (UN Human Rights)
- Unite for Gender Equality (UN Women)
- Unite for Peace (UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency)
- Unite for Education for All (UNESCO)
- Unite for Zero Hunger (UN World Food Program)
- Unite for Ending Violence Against Women (UN Women)
- Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope & Passion (WHO)
“It’s not just about what happens on the pitch,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura in a press release announcing the armband themes. “We are committed to using football’s power as a force for good and leveraging our partnerships with United Nations agencies to achieve our goals. We want to say thank you. Thank you to the players and the teams for sharing your support, for these causes. United, we can make a difference.”
It is also worth noting that FIFA’s “Unite for Inclusion” armband bears more than a passing resemblance to the actual OneLove armband, which several UEFA countries used in Euro 2020 on the men’s side of the coin.
England captain Leah Williamson had stated at a February press conference that she would like to wear the OneLove armband whenever possible.
“The statement that was made at the Euros with every team participating was incredible, every picture we have with a trophy lift there’s a rainbow armband in there,” said Williamson. “We’re a squad that promotes inclusivity and equality, we obviously have a number of people that feel very strongly about it. It’s not even a question for us.”
This being FIFA, captains and teams can’t simply choose the armband they feel would be best on a given day. Instead, they have to choose between three options: wearing a “Football Unites the World” armband for the entire tournament; picking one of the eight themed armbands and wearing that in every game; or wearing the armband that corresponds with a specific matchday’s theme.
Captains who don’t follow that edict will be subject to being booked, as FIFA considers wearing an armband without approval a uniform violation.
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