World Cup team captains ditch ‘OneLove’ armbands after penalty threat in Russia
This is the time of year when captains around the world throw out their arm bands during games, but some are going a step further by ditching the traditional ‘OneLove’ symbol – meaning “one love” – because they are worried about potential penalties.
This is the time of year when captains around the world throw out their arm bands during games, but some are going a step further by ditching the traditional ‘OneLove’ symbol – meaning “one love” – because they are worried about potential penalties.
It’s not just World Cup and Olympics captains who are changing bandages.
At this week’s Women’s World Cup semi-final between the United States and England, captain Megan Rapinoe was seen wearing one of the shirts that all teams wore on their armbands – with the word “OneLove” written in the middle, above the “U” and “S”.
A USA Soccer spokesperson said: “The captains on every team on every match day wear a red and white armband bearing the One Love logo. The shirt is worn in place of the traditional red and white one if the captain is unable to wear the traditional armband.”
The word “OneLove” doesn’t appear anywhere else on the shirts worn by the four teams’ captains, who are also a few years older than the rest of the squad.
“I don’t know if it’s a protest or a new trend or some kind of a trend to not wear red and white armbands but we’re going to wear them on our sleeves with the OneLove symbol,” Rapinoe told CNN.
Former England captain Natasha Kai said she was surprised to see the American players’ gesture “because [she] didn’t see an American player with the No Love symbol in their armband”.
When asked by the BBC if the gesture was a protest, Rapinoe said: “No, I’m not protesting when it comes to doing something differently than what’s expected… I think it’s really kind of refreshing and a positive thing.”
Tottenham Hotspur, England’s national football team, use a version of the OneLove symbol as part of their armband.
A statement released by Spurs said:
