‘DENYING US A VOICE’

German Soccer Players Cover Mouths, Wear Rainbows in Qatar World Cup Protest

The defiant gesture came after FIFA shut down plans to wear armbrands expressing solidarity with LGBT people.

Germany’s international soccer players covered their mouths and wore rainbow stripes on their cleats before their World Cup game against Japan in Qatar on Wednesday, defying FIFA’s efforts to stop athletes from displaying messages supporting LGBTQ people. Germany was one of seven countries that had planned for their players to wear “OneLove” armbands at the tournament but dropped the bold statement of solidarity after soccer’s international governing body threatened teams with sporting sanctions. “Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice,” the German Football Association said in a statement shortly after the game started. “We stand by our position.” The German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, doubled down on the players’ protest by wearing a OneLove armband as she watched the game. She was seated at the stadium next to Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA.