Other teams are also protesting FIFA’s hasty production
Today’s match against Ghana with a new armband
It was Son Heung-min’s (Tottenham) captain’s armband that pitied those who cheered in the Group H first leg against Uruguay on the 24th.
It would have been annoying with just the visor on, but that was because the armband kept sliding down and he couldn’t seem to focus on the game. Finally, Son Heung-min took off his armband and ran with it in his left hand. So did Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo. German captain Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) also said: “He is too wide. It doesn’t look like it was made by a good company,” he complained.
Indeed, this captain’s armband was made in a hurry to fill instead of wearing the ‘One Love’ armband with a rainbow heart and the number ‘1’ which has been banned by the captains of seven European clubs, including England and Exhausting Germany. The International Football Federation (FIFA) stipulates that the equipment used by players must not contain phrases or images with political or religious significance. But in reality it was because Qatar, the host country, openly discriminated against LGBTI people.
FIFA is making team captains from every country play the group stage wearing armbands with slogans like “#Football to unite the world” and “#Non-discrimination”. The slogans are different for each stage of the tournament. The problem was that due to rushed production it kept scrolling down preventing us from focusing on the game. There were also complaints that there was only one size and that it couldn’t be adjusted.
Ultimately, FIFA decided to remake the armband. An official from the Korean Football Federation introduced on the 26th: “We’ve talked about it and I know other teams have also raised issues.” He is expected to wear a new armband in their match against Ghana in the second round of Group H on the 28th.
Senior reporter Lim Byung-seon
