Harry Kane vows to wear One Love armband in England World Cup 2022 opener vs Iran despite threat of being BOOKED for it
ENGLAND skipper Harry Kane WILL wear the One Love armband in the Three Lions’ opener against Iran – despite a threat that he could be BOOKED for doing so.
German FA chiefs were warned that there was a possibility that any team skipper wearing the armband in defiance of Fifa’s demand to only wear the official slogan could be cautioned before the game started.
With two bookings bringing a one-match ban, such a policy could have a major impact of the tournament.
England are the first of the eight European teams committed to the policy to go into action when they kick off against Iran tomorrow.
It meant a shadow potentially hanging over the Spurs man, Liverpool’s Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk and Wales leader Gareth Bale.
Fifa declined to make any comment on “speculation” and it does seem it was a situation that was hinted at, rather that stated directly.
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But with the FA insisting Kane WILL wear the armband, there was a unified approach from the Germany camp in the north of Qatar.
And the striker says he is ready to risk being booked or fined for wearing the One Love armband at today’s World Cup opener.
Kane said: “I feel we’ve made it clear as a team, as a staff and as an organisation that we want to wear the armband.
“I know the FA are talking to Fifa at the moment.
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“I’m sure by game time tomorrow they’ll have their decision.
“We’ve made it clear that we want to wear it.”
Meanwhile, German FA President Bernd Neuendorf told broadcaster ZDF: “We will stay with the European position.
“We will play with it and tomorrow England, Wales and the Netherlands will play with it.
“Fifa came up with their own armband idea just two days ago.
“That’s was not acceptable for us.
“England have played with the One Love armband already and the captains of the teams said, they will play with it.
“So we could not agree with Fifa on this point.”
If Fifa were to order referees to caution Kane and the other seven European skippers, the world body would be in breach of its OWN rules.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino spoke on Saturday about the revised “statutes” of the organisation.
And Article 3 of the Statutes reads: “Fifa is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.”
By booking a player for an armband supporting those SAME rights, Fifa would be actively stopping the “protection of those rights” rather than promoting them.