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Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said that he would wear the pro-LGBTQ+ “OneLove” armband if he was at the Qatar World Cup, despite the threat of FIFA sanctions.
“I’d be interested to see what the referee does if there’s someone coming on with the armband,” Habeck said Tuesday night on ZDF’s Markus Lanz talk show.
“I would maybe take my chances,” Habeck said, but added that he is “a politician, trying to do his job” and not Manuel Neuer, the captain of Germany’s national team.
Qatar has faced criticism ever since it was awarded the tournament in 2010 for its treatment of migrant workers, as well as its policies toward the LGBTQ+ community and women’s rights.
Habeck referred to “iconic protest moments at sport events, that have arguably changed something,” pointing to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling in protest against racial injustice and police brutality during the U.S. national anthem in the summer of 2016.
Nancy Faeser, another senior German minister, also leaned into the debate on Tuesday. She told ARD it would be a strong signal if the German team wore the armband.
Habeck’s remarks came a day after the German Football Association together with six other European nations decided to drop plans for their captain to wear a “OneLove” armband due to FIFA’s threat of “sporting sanctions.” The German FA on Tuesday said it planned to take legal action against FIFA over its stance.
Germany plays its opening match against Japan at 2 p.m. CET Wednesday.
Source: Politico
