Former England player and BBC host Alex Scott has been widely praised for wearing the OneLove armband after seven football associations in Europe backed down following threats from Fifa.
England captain Harry Kane was due to wear the armband during England's first game against Iran in Qatar, which was aimed at a form of protest against all forms of discrimination that are present in the host nation.
However, Fifa said that players would be booked or forced to leave the pitch if they chose to wear the armband. Instead the players would now be wearing a Fifa approved armband which featured a 'No Discrimination' message.
Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands were also set to wear the armband. In statement the collective federations said: “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."
Although the England players on the pitch weren't able to wear the armband at least one former England player on pitch side did.
Speaking to Kelly Somers before the game, Scott's armband was clearly visible but made little reference to it apart from Somers giving it a brief mention.
Viewers at home though were quick to praise the former footballer for her powerful message to Fifa.
\u201cAlex Scott sports the #OneLove armband after England\u2019s decision to abandon the gesture over FIFA sanctions. \n\n#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022\u201d— SPORTbible (@SPORTbible) 1669033769
\u201cAlex Scott you legend\u201d— Ali Tweedale (@Ali Tweedale) 1669033697
\u201cAlex Scott is wearing the One Love arm band whilst presenting on BBC One.\u201d— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1669035413
\u201cALEX SCOTT YESS.\u201d— Emily \u2728 (@Emily \u2728) 1669033660
\u201cEngland may not be wearing the #OneLove armband, but @AlexScott is right now on BBC. This is more than just LGBTQ+ rights, this is Human Rights \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc99\u201d— Pride in Football \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u26bd\ufe0f (@Pride in Football \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u26bd\ufe0f) 1669033684
\u201cAlways said if you're going to go cover this tournament, then use that platform for good. Alex Scott is showing support for LGBTQ people to millions in the UK and around the world.\u201d— Jack Duncan \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (mas.to/@jackdunc1) (@Jack Duncan \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (mas.to/@jackdunc1)) 1669034663
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