Germany make defiant stand against Fifa in first World Cup game

Germany’s players placed hands over their mouths and wore rainbow stripes on their warm-up tops and boots in a powerful statement of defiance against Fifa before their Group E match against Japan.

In a powerful statement published shortly after the game started, the German Football Association warned Fifa: 'Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice.' Their message was reinforced by the German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, who also wore a OneLove armband, which promotes tolerance, diversity and LGBTQ+ rights, as she sat next to Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino.

The Guardian on YouTube:

#Germany #GermanTeam #WorldCup #OneLoveArmband #FIFA #Football

[guardianfootball]

Homophobic comments will be reported as hate speech

[meanmachine]

I covered my mouth in shock when Japan scored to win 2-1

[marauder]

Germany came to promote LGBT, Japan came to play football. No fuss.

[newyorkcity]

We're used to seeing japanese fans cleaning stadiums after games, but today... The japanese cleaned the field as well swiped the floor with the germans !🤣😂🤣

[emaddighriri]

Her lack of respect for Qatari law shows the nature of her work ethic and her commitment as a representative of a country that follows the law. But Japan cleaned the stadium today, didn't you watch the match? Or were you preoccupied with how to break Qatari law.

[lloydh.]

Respect to Japan for focusing on the sport of football, winning and not trying to push political agendas. There should not be political messages in any sport. Some people want to and need to switch off from this constant pushing of agendas and political views and sport should be able to provide that. Whatever your thoughts on Qatar, protesting against your hosts and imposing your views on a different culture, makes it political.

[johnpala]

I’m not a football expert, manager or tactician but I could suggest that maybe the German players should have concentrated on playing football…. Well done Japan. I

[raisulislam]

Wow, what a spectacular cleaning by the Japanese!

[erenyeagerist]

Thank you Japan for sweeping the germs! 🇯🇵🙌

[anasomar]

Yeah exactly the same thing happened in Germany when Ozil stood up for the Uyghur they silenced and kicked him out of the team. Germany is the last country to speak about standing up for values and human rights

[abhishekchakraborty]

Getting lessons on human rights from Europe or UK is like learning the art of being a vegan from a wolf . EU's genders are language/culture made, so is their brand of human rights.

[mohamedantaleb]

they've got what they deserve thanks JAPAN

[marukomarko]

Which country is Adidas, a human rights suppression company that had Pakistani children under the age of 10 work hard to make balls for the 1998 France World Cup?

[Fal-]

Imagine Germans preaching the world about love 😂.

[crinjuventus]

But they forget to cover their goal post

[augustinejohn]

"Karma come back "
May the curse of OZIL be with GERMANY in the next game

[ozsafi]

I thought they were covering their mouths because they saw a picture of what their grandparents got upto in the 1930's …. oh

[afnazu]

German players focused on Politics than on Football... And they learned a lesson today.

[mwaltermann]

I have got a crazy idea: why do they not just simply wear their national colours on their arms 😮?

[newyorkcity]

Thank you Qatar 🇶🇦 without you we couldn't seen Germany and Argentina like that 😅😅 that's crazy in football u don't know who will win