Virgil Van Dijk hits back at FIFA’s punishment for OneLove armband
Netherlands opened up their Qatar 2022 tournament with a 2-0 victory over Senegal. Initially they agreed on wearing an armband showcasing support for LGBTQ+ rights in the country. However, after FIFA threats, the countries withdrew.
The
‘OneLove’ campaign
started its work before Euro 2020 and was supported by the national teams of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Wales, Sweden, and Switzerland. Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalized in Qatar.
FIFA offered a one-match ban for any captain who would wear the controversial OneLove armband and as a result the
Netherlandsand other eighth European nations confirmed that their captains will not wear OneLove rainbow armbands at the 2022 World Cup.
told broadcaster
NOSafter their 2-0 win over Senegal:
"I play in a position where a yellow card is not useful. I became a football player and I want to play in these kinds of tournaments.
"There are people who say we don't have a backbone, but that's not how it works.
"We just want to play football. I would have loved to play with that band, but not at the expense of a yellow card."
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