In an unprecedented and controversial move, FIFA has stated it will impose strict sporting sanctions against any football captains who wear the OneLove armband during the course of the Qatar World Cup 2022.

According to the BBC, the Football Associations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland released a statement early this morning (21 November 2022) detailing the recent decision made by the global football organisation: “FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.”

The joint associations continued: “We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented—we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the OneLove armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response. Our players and coaches are disappointed—they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways.”

The OneLove armband is the physical manifestation of an initiative created in the hopes of promoting inclusivity and support for the LGBTQIA+ community within football. A number of football captains, including England captain Harry Kane, had previously stated their intentions to sport the colourful armband during the tournament—which has been deemed the most controversial sporting event to date.

However, it now appears that Kane, alongside a number of other European captains, will no longer participate in the campaign in fear of being heavily fined or even booked (receiving a yellow card).

The World Cup, which officially kicked off on 20 November 2022, has already been highly criticised by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International for the poor working conditions of migrant labourers—many of whom died during the construction of the infrastructure needed to host the sporting event.

Qatari officials garnered further criticism after World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman told German TV broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality is “damage in the mind.”

In response to the recent banning of the OneLove armband, many netizens took to Twitter to publicise their outrage and disappointment. One user made a dig against current FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s recent statements and simply posted: “Today I feel gay, and tomorrow I’m banning an armband that is worn to promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination of any kind.”

While sports journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote: “One of the things that is so dispiriting about all this is that the OneLove armband felt like it was designed specifically so that it would be permitted. The blandness and non-specificity of it was the whole point. And they’ve still ultimately decided against wearing it.”

One of the things that is so dispiriting about all this is that the One Love armband felt like it was designed specifically so that it would be permitted. The blandness and non-specificity of it was the whole point. And they've still ultimately decided against wearing it.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) November 21, 2022

Later in the day, as England faced Iran on the pitch, a number of individuals pointed out the humiliating reality that, while so many nations chose not to wear the OneLove armband simply to avoid being booked, the Iranian team refused to sing their national anthem out of solidarity with the nationwide protests taking place back home after the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police. They took action, despite knowing that they could face serious punishment or persecution when they return.

Iranian team refusing to sing their anthem knowing they could go home and be jailed or executed for it. Our lot not wearing a bit of cloth because one of them might get a yellow card.
Embarrassing.

— Emma Kennedy (@EmmaKennedy) November 21, 2022

As the highly anticipated—and, for some, dreaded—2022 FIFA World Cup is finalising last-minute details ahead of its kick-off on Sunday 20 November in Qatar, a leaked video has been stealing the tournament’s thunder after it rapidly gained some traction online.

The footage in question revealed the sketchy living conditions that many fans who opted for alternative options to staying at hotels will have to settle for—and we’ll be honest, it’s not looking good. So much so in fact that many netizens have been quick to compare the fan villages which were originally advertised as luxurious desert getaways to the catatonic mess that was the fraudulent Fyre Festival.

Because there weren’t enough hotel rooms to host the expected amount of fans—more than a million visitors—the event’s organising committee offered stand-in accommodation built specifically for the month-long tournament.

Among some of the villages being advertised to football enthusiasts is the Fan Village Al Khor, where a tent starts at around $424 per night—a hefty sum that was somewhat justified by the luxurious promotional images that first circulated. Other reports have stated that some of the tents could be rented for around $200 a night.

However, as the now-viral video revealed, it seems pretty clear that what was pitched to fans will not become reality for the unlucky ones who chose this accommodation option. Instead, the footage showed a village that consisted of hundreds of tents with nothing but a couple of beds and a nightstand placed in them.

The obvious lack of furniture put aside, the tents hardly seemed to hold up to the strong Qatari winds. Oh, and they were located just off highways and near aeroports, so the noise is bound to be unbearable too.

Fans rooms in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/detQFVVkvR

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 15, 2022

It’s not surprising then why people have linked the underwhelming accommodations to the most-talked festival experience of 2017, Fyre Festival. Advertised by famous faces including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber, it was sold as a glamorous party on a deserted island.

Tickets cost up to $100,000 and guests who booked were promised luxury accommodation alongside “the best in food, art, music, and adventure” in the dreamy Bahamas. Instead, they arrived and were faced with mattresses on rain-soaked floors, meals of cheese slices on dry bread, and didn’t even have access to their own luggage.

Speaking of the recent footage, one Twitter user wrote: “This screams Fyre Festival vibes.” Another echoed: “Did they hire the Fyre Festival guy to arrange this?” “This is a disaster waiting to happen,” warned a third.

“Everyone should stay away. Looks like a good place to disappear and get sold,” concluded yet another.