Tottenham star Harry Kane to wear ‘rainbow’ armband at 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to fight discrimination
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is all set to captain England at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 29-year-old striker, according to BBC, is amongst a group of players that will wear a special ‘OneLove’ armband at the World Cup to fight discrimination.
Homosexuality and the promotion of same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, the host nation. However, Kane’s statement did not make a mention of this specific topic.
Nevertheless, the colour pattern of the armband (seen in the image below), more or less indicates that the message is mainly aimed at combatting homophobia. The rainbow colours are globally recognised as the colours representing LGBTQ Pride.
“I am honoured to join my fellow national team captains in supporting the important OneLove campaign. As captains we may all be competing against each other on the pitch, but we stand together against all forms of discrimination.”
“This is even more relevant at a time when division is common in society. Wearing the armband together on behalf of our teams will send a clear message when the world is watching.”
It is still a bit disappointing not to see the issue of homophobia in the host country explicitly mentioned in this initiative, although the implications will, hopefully, get the message across.
Sweden, Denmark, Wales, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, and Belgium are also a part of the campaign. England will start their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21 at the Khalifa International Stadium.
They then take on the USA on November 25 before ending their Group B fixtures against Wales on November 29. England last won the World Cup in 1966.
They exited the competition in the semi-finals in Russia, when they lost to Croatia. Our Harry Kane finished as the top-scorer in the tournament with six goals in seven games.
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This time around, there is no doubt that he would trade any individual accolade to be able to get his hands on the World Cup trophy.