This captain’s armband was worn by Harry Kane in England’s European Championship Round of 16 match against Germany in 2021.
England won the game 2-0, progressing to the quarter-final stage, with Kane scoring the Three Lions’ second goal.
However, it was our opponents who led the way with the armband. Germany’s captain, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, had been wearing the armband throughout their group stage games to celebrate Pride month and show solidarity with LGBT+ communities, even risking sanctions from UEFA.
After the OneLove armband was worn at the Women’s EUROs the following year, plans were afoot for the men’s side to wear the same armband the following year at the World Cup, held in Qatar – a country where homosexuality is forbidden.
FIFA took a dim view, controversially declaring that any captain wearing such an armband would incur a booking. Ultimately, The FA backed down, and the armband was not present for the following fixture against Iran.
This object shows the power of the game to represent and promote diversity and equal rights – and the challenges that remain.
