Virgil van Dijk strikes back At Critics For Not Donning FIFA “OneLove” Armband

In response to accusations that the Netherlands and other nations lacked moral courage during the anti-discrimination armband debate, Virgil van Dijk has fought back.

Seven countries, including England and Wales, planned to have their captains wear the rainbow-colored “OneLove” armband at the World Cup, including Netherlands.

The band is a part of a year-long campaign, but in Qatar, a nation that criminalizes same-sex partnerships, they put out a particularly important message.

The seven nations abandoned their plans after FIFA, the organization in charge of organizing the tournament, threatened them with sporting sanctions, including yellow cards for the captains, if the bands were worn. Teams were then told to wear a FIFA-approved “no discrimination” band in its place.

Van Dijk, the captain of the Oranje, spoke on NOS: “I play in a position where a yellow card is not useful. I became a football player and I want to play in these kind of tournaments.

“There are people who say we don’t have a backbone, but that’s not how it works,” the Liverpool defender added.

“We just want to play football. I would have loved to play with that band, but not at the expense of a yellow card.”

During England’s opening victory over Iran on Monday, captain Harry Kane expressed his unhappiness at not being permitted to wear the band, and teammate Jack Grealish referred to the decision as “a bit dumb.”

When it became clear that sporting sanctions were a genuine possibility, the Football Association’s position—and that of the other associations—changed from being ready to be penalized over the band.

FIFA has received harsh criticism for the situation. It didn’t make the ‘no discrimination’ component of its marketing public until Saturday when it said the approved wristbands would only be worn during the quarterfinals.

Instead, that viewpoint changed on Monday. It came after a last-minute U-turn on alcohol sales inside stadium boundaries last Friday, and it has once again sparked debate about whether FIFA or the Qatari authorities are ultimately in charge of this World Cup.

Before their match against the United States on Monday night, Wales supporters claimed that things in rainbow colors had been taken from them, including Laura McAllister, who had previously run for the FIFA Council.

Before the tournament, FIFA is believed to have received guarantees from the Qatari government that fans will be permitted to carry rainbow-colored banners and flags and wear rainbow-colored attire.

She tweeted on Monday night: “So, despite fine words from @FIFAWorldCup before event @Cymru rainbow bucket hats confiscated at the stadium, mine included.

“I had a conversation about this with stewards – we have video evidence. This #WorldCup2022 just gets better but we will continue to stand up for our values.”