World Cup captains want to wear rainbow armbands in Qatar

A view of hotels and other buildings at the West Bay area in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. Many hotels in Qatar are already fully booked for the soccer World Cup which will be held in November and December 2022. Qatar’s ambassador to Germany was personally urged to abolish his country’s death penalty for homosexuality at a congress hosted by the German soccer federation on human rights in the World Cup host country. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, file)

FIFA came under pressure Wednesday from several European soccer federations who want their captains to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during World Cup games in Qatar to campaign against discrimination.

France and Germany, the last two World Cup champions, were among eight of the 13 European soccer teams going to Qatar who joined the “One Love” campaign, which started in the Netherlands. The Dutch team plays Qatar in Group A on Nov. 29.

FIFA rules prohibit teams from bringing their own armband designs to the World Cup and insist they must use equipment provided by the governing body.