![]() Design of the OneLove armband | |
Date | 2020–present |
---|---|
Location | International, primarily Europe |
Also known as | OneLove armband, #OneLove, Pride armband, multicoloured armband, rainbow captain's armband |
Cause | Anti-discrimination, human rights, anti-racism, LGBT+ rights |
OneLove is an anti-discrimination, anti-racism, LGBT+ rights and human rights campaign, started during the 2020 football season by the Dutch Football Association, [1] [2] that invites football players to wear armbands with the rainbow-coloured OneLove logo. Attracting controversy when worn in nations that have homophobic or anti-LGBT+ laws, it became prominent during the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The OneLove campaign kicked off in the Netherlands at the start of the 2020 football season, largely in response to racism in Dutch football, [3] with an open letter rejecting any form of discrimination. The letter emphasised that, internationally, football unites millions of people from all parts of society. That message was shown on billboards in football stadiums where the Netherlands national team played their games. The OneLove logo was also worn on team jerseys during the KNVB Cup Final between Ajax and PSV. The campaign then spread its advertising to print and video media. [2] [4] Netherlands captain Georginio Wijnaldum wore the OneLove armband during UEFA Men’s Euro 2020. [5] In June 2021, another open letter was published, this time saying that the fans were proud of their teams for the OneLove campaign. [6]
At the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, most captains wore either a OneLove or Stonewall rainbow armband, [7] including winning England captain Leah Williamson, [8] Sweden captain Kosovare Asllani, [9] and Norway captain Ada Hegerberg, who was also wearing it to honour the victims of the 2022 Oslo shooting. [10]
The OneLove campaign's impact in the Netherlands saw it spread to other European countries, with ten national men's teams (Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales) agreeing to wear the armband for all their UEFA Nations League and FIFA World Cup matches, beginning in September 2022. Two of those nations did not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and England did not wear the armband while in official mourning of Elizabeth II. [2]
In December 2022, during the 2022 World Cup, Dutch music artists Yellow Pearl and Noah Jaora collaborated on a single titled "OneLove", having consulted with the Dutch Football Association. The single was released to support the campaign. [11]
The England women's team continued to wear the OneLove armband in 2023, also in recognition of Czech men's player Jakub Jankto coming out while an active international, with Williamson saying that she wished to continue wearing it at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and that if there was a decision about it, "you hope it's not a last-minute call once [teams] get there". [7] Shortly afterwards, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that they "are looking for a dialogue and we will have a solution in place well before the Women's World Cup." [12] In the weeks before the tournament, FIFA upheld its ban of the OneLove armband, though it revealed its own similar design, with the same colours in a heart, as an option. [13]
In March 2023, Dutch player Redouan El Yaakoubi chose to step away from captaining Excelsior Rotterdam so that he did not have to publicly support the campaign. [14]
The armband features a heart with multicoloured stripes and a numeral "1". The words "#ONE" and "LOVE" are on either side of the heart. The colours in the logo are not those of the rainbow or LGBT pride flag; instead, they symbolise "race and heritage (red/black/green) and all gender identities and sexual orientations (pink/yellow/blue)". [15] The choices for the colour combinations were inspired by the Pan-African flag and the pansexual flag respectively. [16]
Rejection of the armband was first seen in 2021, when Wijnaldum wore it in a Men’s Euro 2020 match against the Czech Republic that was held in Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian government had shortly before passed a law that banned mentions of homosexuality and transgender issues in education. Dutch fans had also been stopped from taking rainbow flags into the stadium fan zone; UEFA said that any restrictions were made by local security and that it welcomed rainbow Pride symbols, adding that it had informed the Hungarian Football Federation that "rainbow-colored symbols are not political and in line with UEFA's #EqualGame campaign, which fights against all discrimination, including against the LGBTQI+ community, such flags will be allowed into the stadium." [5]
European players who had previously worn rainbow armbands informed FIFA of their intention to continue with the gesture at the Men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar. Their plan to do so gained widespread attention in the days before the start of the tournament, due to increasing criticisms of Qatar's attitude towards homosexuality. [17] [18]
After having arrived at the tournament, the relevant associations were warned that players would be at minimum booked for wearing rainbow armbands, rather than just receive the expected fine; [18] a joint statement by England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands confirmed they would not wear the armband as doing so would affect players. The decision from FIFA coming so late, as well as FIFA "silencing anti-discrimination work within the game", was criticised. [19]
Instead of the captains, several people associated with national teams wore the armband. Most prominent was queer BBC pundit and former England women's captain Alex Scott, who wore the armband while reporting on the England vs Iran match on 21 November. [20] German interior minister Nancy Faeser attended Germany's first game at the World Cup on 23 November, where she wore the armband. [21] UK sports minister Stuart Andrew, who is gay, wore it while attending the match between England and Wales. [22]
The German Men’s team were particularly critical of FIFA's decision to ban the armband. At their first game, the team covered their mouths in protest of being silenced. [23] When the lack of armband caused one of their sponsors to drop out, the German football association replaced the sponsor's logo with the OneLove symbol in their press centre at the World Cup. [24]
In October 2017, Georgian footballer Guram Kashia wore a rainbow-striped captain's armband for Dutch club Vitesse (against Heracles Almelo) in support of LGBT rights, leading to backlash in his country and calls for him to step down from the Georgian Men’s national team. [25]
The popularity of the OneLove armband in European football, and though it is not only in support of LGBT+ rights, prompted some captains to also wear a fully rainbow design armband produced by British LGBT+ advocacy group Stonewall, which had promoted its rainbow laces campaign for LGBT+ visibility in sport since 2013. [26] [27] [28]
Germany Men’s captain Manuel Neuer wore a rainbow armband inspired by the campaign throughout the Men’s Euro 2020 and at a pre-tournament friendly. [5] [29] UEFA initially opened an investigation of Neuer and the German Football Association, suggesting his armband was a breach of political neutrality; the investigation closed with the determination that "the armband has been assessed as a team symbol for diversity and thus for a 'good cause.'" [29] In the Men’s Germany match against England at Wembley, after the investigation was dropped, Neuer continued to wear his rainbow armband and the three Lions’ captain Harry Kane wore the OneLove armband. The match fell during June, aPride Month; Kane had worn rainbow armbands on other occasions to no controversy, particularly in the Premier League for Tottenham, during Pride events. [30]
The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.
The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in men's international football competitions since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home games are played at the Estádio Nacional stadiums in Portugal, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Cidade do Futebol, is located in Oeiras. The head coach of the team is Roberto Martínez, and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who also holds the team records for most caps and most goals.
The Spain national football team has represented Spain in men's international football competitions since 1920. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.
The England women's national football team, nicknamed the Lionesses, has been governed by the Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by the Women's Football Association (WFA). England played its first international match in November 1972 against Scotland. Although most national football teams represent a sovereign state, England is permitted by FIFA statutes, as a member of the United Kingdom's Home Nations, to maintain a national side that competes in all major tournaments, with the exception of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament.
Alexandra Virina Scott is an English sports presenter, pundit, and former professional footballer who mostly played as a right-back for Arsenal in the FA WSL. She made 140 appearances for the England national team and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Manuel Peter Neuer is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, who he captains, and the Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential goalkeepers in the history of the sport, Neuer has been described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his playing style and speed when rushing off his line to anticipate opponents, going out of the penalty area. He was named the best goalkeeper of the decade from 2011 to 2020 by IFFHS.
Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, whom he captains, and the Netherlands national team. He is noted for his high work-rate and impressive technical ability.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Qatar experience legal persecution. Sexual acts between males are illegal in Qatar, with punishment for both Muslims and non-Muslims of up to three years in prison. For Muslims duly convicted in the sharia courts, a judicial sentence of capital punishment for homosexuality is a possibility, though it has never been imposed. Abuse such as beatings and torture, and forced "conversion therapy" have also been used by police and other authorities. There is no explicit corresponding prohibition of consensual sex between women, although sharia disallows sexual activity outside of marriage.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world and Muslim world, and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
Guram Kashia is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Niké Liga club Slovan Bratislava and captains the Georgia national team.
Homophobia has been widespread in men's association football, also known as soccer, throughout the world.
Christian Günter is a German professional footballer who plays as a left-back for and captains Bundesliga club SC Freiburg, where he has spent his entire career. He also plays for the Germany national team.
Danny Desmond Makkelie is a Dutch professional football referee. Besides refereeing he works as a police inspector in Rotterdam and as a referee coach for the Royal Dutch Football Association. He has been a FIFA listed referee since 2011.
Leah Cathrine Williamson is an English professional footballer who plays for Women's Super League club Arsenal and captains the England women's national team. A versatile player, she plays in central defence or the midfield. She has spent her entire senior domestic career at Arsenal. She also represented Great Britain at the Olympics in 2021. Williamson captained England to their first UEFA European Championship victory, and the women's team's first international title, in 2022, for which she was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Josip Brekalo is a Croatian footballer who plays as a winger for Serie A club Fiorentina, and the Croatia national team.
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Stonewall's Rainbow Laces Campaign is an annual event in support of the LGBTQ+ community and the support of increasing diversity in sports across the world.
There are no LGBT rights in Qatar, with homosexuality as well as campaigning for LGBT rights criminalised. As such, when Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the choice to do so in a restrictive nation saw much criticism, with several topics becoming the subject of controversy.
The colours of the OneLove-logo symbolize race and heritage (red/black/green) and all gender identities and sexual orientations (pink/yellow/blue)
Die Farbgebung symbolisiert dies. Rot, Schwarz und Grün finden sich in der Panafrikanischen Flagge, Pink, Gelb und Blau symbolisieren die Pansexual Flagge. (The colouring symbolises this. Red, black and green are found in the Pan-African flag, pink, yellow and blue symbolise the Pansexual flag.)