Gilbert Baker is not in any of the calls for the 32 participating teams. In fact, the American activist died in 2017. But the famous flag that he created to demand the freedom of the LGTBQ collective can be seen in the stadiums in the World Cup. And not among the fans. But on the grass. Among the protagonists of the parties.
And more specifically in the arms of Van Dijk, Kane, Neuer, Bale, Schmeichel, De Bruyne or Xhaka. They are the captains of the Netherlands, England, Germany, Wales, Denmark, Belgium and Switzerland. These seven European federations came together in September to launch an anti-discriminatory message during the World Cup and respect for different sexual orientations and identities
A piece of white cloth with a heart in the center. Some red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet bars. In the center, two words: One Love. In other words, there is only one love, no matter what faces it has or the ways in which it is presented. This is the discord bracelet.
Because in Qatar, a Muslim country, sexual relations between people of the same sex are punishable by up to seven years in prison. Without going any further, last week the ambassador of the World Cup, Khalid Salman, cataloged homosexuality as "mental damage" on the ZDF channel.
Soccer does not have the most open and inclusive environment. In 2021, Australian Josh Cavallo was considered the first active professional footballer to come out as gay. But this time the captains have decided to go on the attack and rebel. In their own way.
They will not boycott. It is difficult to say no to a tournament that is played every four years for ethical reasons. Although there are precedents. In 1978 the German Paul Breitner stood up and resigned from the World Cup in Argentina for being against the military dictatorship of Videla in the host country.
The footballers in Qatar will not be able to show protest shirts (Denmark has been censored for a training shirt) and have opted for a less bulky element, perhaps more concealable, as is the case of the bracelet. The Dutch KNVB was the driving force behind the action. It is not the only initiative that the Oranje have taken, since they will auction off the shirts of their soccer players (at MatchWornShirt.com) and the money raised will go to the workers and workers of the stadiums.
"As captains we will challenge each other on the pitch but we will stand together against all forms of discrimination," said Harry Kane, the England captain. The Tottenham star first wore the armband in September in Milan against Italy in the Nations League. The top scorer at Russia 2018 has already made it clear that he will wear it even if FIFA, which has not yet ruled, opposes and fines them. The ex-madridista Bale and Neuer are of the same opinion.
Instead, Hugo Lloris, the captain of France backs down. Initially, the French federation had joined the initiative – as had Sweden and Norway, who have not qualified – but the goalkeeper has already warned that he will not take it. “In France we welcome foreigners and normally we want them to follow our rules, respect our culture. I will do the same in Qatar”, Lloris excused himself. "I can agree or not, but I have to respect," said the Tottenham goalkeeper. It remains to be seen if anyone else gets off the bandwagon before their debut or they all go to the end of the fallout.
The debate is not new. In the last European Championship, the city of Munich wanted to illuminate the exterior of the Allianz Arena stadium with the colors of the flag coinciding with Germany-Hungary. We must not forget that the Hungarian prime minister is the far-right Orbán. But UEFA banned the gesture, considering it a political action against the visiting country.
The European body opened a file on Neuer for wearing a tape in support of the LGTBQ community. "The regulations establish that the official bracelet must be worn," was his argument. Finally common sense prevailed and everything came to nothing.
Just in case and to avoid and mislead possible censorship in the stands of Qatari stadiums, the Pantone brand has created a white flag with bars and the corresponding names of the colors that make up the LGTBQ banner: 2347 C, 2018 C, 3945 C, 356 C, 2726 C, 253 C. During the month of December in the host country it rains an average of 1.3 days but captains like Kane, Van Dijk or Neuer want the rainbow to come out in Qatar.
