Former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has blasted Germany for their OneLove armband protest at the World Cup in Qatar.
- Jose Mourinho explains why Japan defeated Germany
- Avram Glazer responds to Cristiano Ronaldo blasting Man Utd’s wantaway owners
- Kevin De Bruyne explains bust-up with Alderweireld after Belgium beat Canada
FIFA has decided to ban some European nations from wearing the rainbow armband at the competition – a symbol of inclusivity and anti-discrimination – with homosexuality illegal in Qatar, sparking debate among players, supporters and pundits.
Germany stars responded to FIFA’s ban with a huge statement prior to kick-off in their opener against Japan on Wednesday, covering their mouths to signal that they have been silenced by FIFA.
Several Germany players also slammed FIFA after the game, with Manuel Neuer saying ‘they will never silence us’ and Kimmich hinting at further protests.
England were due to wear the OneLove armband in their opening match against Iran before a U-turn which was was due to the threat of ‘massive sanctions’ and ‘extreme blackmail’, according to the German Football Association.
Denmark were also due to wear the OneLove armband along with Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland and the Danes are even reported to be open to leaving FIFA after the controversy.
But not everyone has been supportive of the anti-discrimination fight with Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka saying his side will not follow Germany’s protest and says he is not in Qatar to ‘hand out lessons to anyone’.
Belgium and Real Madrid attacker Hazard is now the latest player to aim a dig at Germany over their protest.
‘Afterwards they lost the match,’ Hazard told RMC Sport when asked about the German gesture. ‘They would have done better not to do it and to win.
‘We are here to play football, I am not here to send a political message, people are better placed for that. We want to be focused on football.
‘I’m not comfortable talking about it because I’m here to play football. We were banned for a bit…
‘I didn’t want to start the match with a yellow card, it would have been annoying for the rest of the tournament.’
