Belgium skipper Eden Hazard puts forth his views over FIFA banning 'OneLove' armband

The 'OneLove' armbands have been in spotlight ever since skippers from seven European nations decided to wear bands to promote a message of LGBTQ inclusion in a nation where homosexuality is illegal. However, FIFA's decision to impose sanctions led to the likes of England, Wales, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark deciding against wearing it.

However, the German football team staged a protest against FIFA over the ban on the armband by covering their mouths in protest before their defeat to Japan on Wednesday. Belgium skipper Eden Hazard has hit out at Germany over their decision to stage a protest during their opening match against Japan. 

Hazard's brutal response to Germany's protests against FIFA over armband

Ahead of the opening match against Japan, the German football team decided to pose for their pre-match team photo with each player placing hands over their mouths, which was a gesture of being silenced. However, Belgium skipper Eden Hazard did not support the decision from German players stating that they should have stuck to football. After the narrow win against Canada, Hazard said, "They'd have done better not to do it [the protest] and to win instead. We are here to play football. I'm not here to send a political message. Other people are better placed for that. We want to be focused on football."

When the Belgium skipper was asked about his decision to not wear the ‘OneLove’ armband, he made the admission about not being comfortable talking about the situation. He said, “I’m not comfortable talking about it because I’m here to play football. We were banned… I didn’t want to start the match with a yellow card, it would have been annoying for the rest of the tournament. To do it again, maybe I will postpone it.."

Qatar 2022: Germany willing to take legal action over armband ban 

According to the World Cup rules, captains’ armbands must be authorised and provided by FIFA. Following the decision taken by football's governing body over sanctioning the players, Germany skipper Manuel Neuer decided against wearing the 'OneLove' armband. However, the German Football Association (German FA) plans to take FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the ban on rainbow armbands.

According to a report published by The Guardian, DFB’s spokesperson Stefan Simon confirmed to the tabloid Bild that it had lodged a case over the legal validity of FIFA's decision at the CAS in Lausanne. He hoped that the ban is overturned around the time Germany plays its second match against Spain on Sunday. “FIFA has forbidden us from using a symbol of diversity and human rights. It said the ban would be linked to massive penalties (in the nature of) sporting sanctions without concretising exactly what it meant. The DFB is keen to clarify whether FIFA’s procedure is in fact legitimate", Simon's statement read.