Blinken slams World Cup ban on rainbow armbands: ‘Always worrying’ when free speech is curtailed

Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized policies that have forced seven European football teams to abandon plans to wear rainbow armbands during the World Cup and said the world football tournament in Qatar it should give players the freedom to speak freely.

“It’s always troubling from my perspective when we see any restriction on free speech. It’s especially so when the speech is about diversity and inclusion,” Blinken said Tuesday after meeting with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is “concerned” about the inability of World Cup players to stand up to discrimination by weaning off an armband during the tournament.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“At least in my opinion, no one on a football field should be forced to choose between supporting these values ​​and playing for their team,” Blinken added.

European soccer teams expected their captains to wear rainbow “One Love” armbands to support an anti-discrimination message during the World Cup, which is expected to be watched by billions of people all over the world. However, FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, warned that players would be fined if they wear the bands; the Wall Street Journal reported that officials would hand out yellow cards to anyone wearing one.

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Holland celebrate a goal against Senegal at the World Cup in Qatar, where players are not allowed to wear the rainbow armband.
(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

FIFA is believed to be enforcing the armband ban on behalf of Qatar, which has strict laws against homosexuality. However, FIFA has not commented publicly on the matter and did not return a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

FIFA and Qatar decided together to ban alcohol from matches in Qatar, which some fans have protested by chanting “we want beer”.

In a joint statement, European teams said they had no choice but to avoid in-game penalties and would therefore abandon plans to wear the rainbow armband. “We cannot put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including cautions, so we have asked captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup matches,” they said.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that Qatar is behind FIFA’s ban on wearing a rainbow armband to support anti-discrimination efforts.
(Olivier Douliery/Pool via AP)

Blinken did not directly criticize FIFA for its decision to enforce the ban and indicated in his statements that the policy was run by Qatar. He said Sheikh Tamim told his meeting that “everyone is welcome” and said “it’s important to make it meaningful, to put it into practice.”

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“One of the most powerful things about football, soccer, is its potential to bring the world together,” Blinken said. “That’s the power of sport.”