Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen has said he’s afraid to fully talk about his experience at the World Cup for fear of repercussions.
Vertonghen’s Belgium side was one of seven European teams whose plan to wear “OneLove” captain’s armbands was called off after FIFA threatened to yellow card players wearing them.
Belgium was subject to an additional layer of FIFA censorship after being informed that they could not feature the word “love” on the inside collar of their away kit.
It all felt a little Orwellian for Vertonghen, who said plenty despite his insistence that he was afraid to say anything.
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“I’m afraid to say something. I wonder whether I will be allowed to play on the field tomorrow,” Vertonghen said in a press conference ahead of Belgium’s opener against Canada.
“That is something I’ve never experienced in football and I don’t want to experience again and it’s not good. We are being controlled.
“Is it too late [for the armband protest]? That is a tough question. I don’t know. If you make a statement now by wearing the armband that means you punish yourself. Now I’m afraid to say anything at all. I’m not comfortable talking about this, to be put on the spot. That is telling you enough.
“I don’t like making a political statement. We’re here to play football and if we can’t do that because of making a statement and saying normal things as no against racism and discrimination then what?”
After opting not to risk a yellow card for wearing the OneLove armband, Germany instead protested ahead of its match against Japan on Wednesday by posing for its pre-game team photo with its players covering their mouths.
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