France's captain doesn't want the one-love armband

Is only a "C" printed, does it symbolize the national flag or does it serve as a political message? Again and again, a small piece of material before the World Cup in Qatar causes discussions. With which captain's armbands will the captains lead their teams onto the pitch?

Manuel Neuer and the German Football Association have positioned themselves: The captain of the German national team will play with the One Love armband. "In order to send a signal against discrimination and for diversity, Manuel Neuer will wear a special captain's armband in the upcoming two Nations League games and during the World Cup in Qatar," the DFB said in a statement. After the campaign was announced, criticism of the color of the One Love bandage arose because it did not depict the rainbow flag that Neuer had worn at the European Championships a year ago.

The idea of ​​the special captain's armband came from the Dutch Football Association. Seven other European associations have joined it, including the French one. But now the captain of the France national team has indicated that he will not wear the captain's armband.

"As we often want strangers to abide by our rules and respect our culture, I will do the same when I go to Qatar. Pretty easy," said Hugo Lloris. The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper insisted he didn't share the host country's values: "So I may or may not agree with their ideas, but I have to show respect for them."

Respect for an intolerant mindset. Qatar's World Cup ambassador and former national soccer player Khalid Salman described homosexuality as "mental damage" on ZDF. Above all, he has problems when children see gays. Because they would then learn something that is not good. In his eyes, being gay is "haram" and forbidden, said Salman. "It's mental damage."

Fifa relies on its statutes, which provide for a ban on political statements. For example, wearing your own captain's armbands is prohibited because the equipment has to be provided by the organizer. Despite this set of rules, Neuer will probably wear the one-love bandage. "The strong sign is that we are not the only nation wearing this one love armband," said the 36-year-old.

For a former Bundesliga professional, actions such as wearing the special captain's armband and criticizing Qatar are hypocritical. Ghana's national coach Otto Addo, who played 98 Bundesliga games for BVB and Mainz, accuses Germany of having double standards. "I think it's extremely important that the grievances in Qatar are addressed, especially when people are dying," Addo said.

Nevertheless, it is a very European point of view if you think that you are much better yourself than Qatar: “Off the coast of the EU, to which Germany also belongs, people die every day because they are not accepted. And they are fleeing for economic reasons that we are partly responsible for and historically have partly caused.”

According to Addo, who also works with BVB's youth team, criticism of the World Cup is "not an issue in Ghana" because "there are many other problems". The former Bundesliga professional appealed to all World Cup critics for all justified information: "One should also sweep in front of one's own front door. In Africa, thousands of people die of hunger every day and in Germany, tons of food are thrown away every day.”