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Flashes of Arab unity at World Cup after years of discontent
For a brief moment after Saudi Arabia's Salem Aldawsari fired a ball from just inside the penalty box into the back of the net to seal a World Cup win against Argentina, Arabs across the divided Middle East found something to celebrate.
Such Arab unity is hard to come by and fleeting when it arrives. But Qatar's hosting of the World Cup has provided a moment where many in the Arab world have rallied by Doha and the Saudi team's win.
Whether that momentum continues will be tested on Saturday as Saudi Arabia faces Poland — and as regional tensions, religious differences and renewed economic competition between countries resume.
“All Arabic countries are celebrating because one Arab team won,” said 27-year-old Saudi Rakan Yousef after Arab fans congratulated him in Doha, Qatar, on the Green Falcons’ win. “Even the emir of Qatar attended our match. ... There’s this feeling now that we are all brothers. That’s why I’m speechless.”
The Arab world's division start even with the Arabic language.
Spoken Arabic changes regionally, with the Berber-infused Arabic of North Africa, the rapid-fire Egyptian heard in movies and television comedies, the soft Levantine drawl and the guttural dialect of the Gulf Arabs.
Read more: Saudi fans put on brave face after World Cup loss to Poland
Religion is another differentiator — there are Muslims, both Sunni and Shiite with subgroups within, and minority Christians, Druze, Baha'i and others. Different views on religion and regional rivalries bleed into conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Yemen.
But despite an attempt by al-Qaida to stir up extremists, the monthlong World Cup in energy-rich Qatar so far has seen unity among the Gulf Arab nations. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the heads of state in two countries that only some two years ago had boycotted Qatar, attended the tournament's opening match.
Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, called Qatar's hosting of the tournament “a milestone for all Arabs" and also attended the opening. That feeling was shared by others as well.
“We are proud to be here for the first World Cup in an Arabic country,” Morocco coach Walid Regragui said.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi similarly praised Qatar while dismissing the criticisms of journalists — and by extension, rights groups.
“Qatar did a tremendous job organizing a World Cup. ... Qatar never claimed it was perfect,” Safadi said. “We have differences in opinion, we have differences in views but that should not take away from the fact that Qatar has really put together a World Cup that is unique in every sense of the word.”
Read more: On outskirts of Doha, laborers watch World Cup they built
But the biggest surprise came two days later as Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina by winning their opener in the tournament, with Aldawsari doing a cartwheel and a flip. Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attended the match and wore a Saudi flag around his shoulders.
One veteran Saudi sports journalist, Majed al-Tuwaijri, even wept on air after the match.
“This is the most beautiful and important moment in my life and my 30-year media career," he said, his voice choking up. “I find myself failing to express myself because of the complexity of my feelings toward this great historical victory.”
Saudi Arabia's King Salman declared Wednesday a public holiday to commemorate the win. In the kingdom and outside of it, people cheered and waved the country's green and white flag to celebrate.
The Saudi flag itself carries two images that show its complicated place in the wider Arab world. It bears a white sword and the Arabic inscription of the shahada, a Muslim declaration of faith: "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” After the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 A.D., Islam spread from the austere desert reaches of the Arabian Peninsula that later would become Saudi Arabia.
Today, Saudi Arabia maintains beheading as a form of execution and is one of the world's top enforcers of the death penalty. The kingdom also has used its oil money since the 1980s to export an ultraconservative view of Islam called Wahhabism into mosques around the world. Extremists have exploited Wahhabi organizations receiving Saudi funding as well.
That history, as well as regional politics, make a wholehearted embrace of Saudi Arabia more complicated for Arabs in the Mideast. While some celebrated Saudi Arabia's win in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave blockaded by Egypt and Israel is ruled by the militant group Hamas. The kingdom, while not diplomatically recognizing Israel, now allows Israeli airlines overflight rights.
The limits also can be seen in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been fighting the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since 2015. Houthi Information Minister Daifallah al-Shami on Twitter offered “a thousand congratulations” to Saudi Arabia for placing “Arab football back on the map.” He later deleted the tweet and apologized.
“There are red lines that no party or person should cross,” al-Shami wrote.
The Saudi win, which the daily newspaper Okaz described as “restoring the glories” of the kingdom, also fits into the new, more nationalistic Saudi Arabia forming under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
As the prince has risen to power, the kingdom has socially liberalized by allowing women to drive, reopening movie theaters and curtailing its morality police. His comments to the team ahead of the tournament, urging them to “enjoy” the matches, have been repeated constantly in Saudi Arabia's tightly controlled press.
But Prince Mohammed also led a self-described corruption crackdown targeting anyone with power in the kingdom. U.S. intelligence agencies believe the brutal slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul came at his orders, something denied by the kingdom.
Meanwhile, economic competition between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia has been increasing as Riyadh tries to draw international business from Dubai. Qatar, which faced a Saudi-led boycott only two years earlier, has embraced the kingdom while solidifying ties with the United States as hedge. The inconclusive war in Yemen still rages.
Soccer provides a respite, but no panacea for those woes.
“You’d have to have a historical lobotomy to think this is a stable region,” said David B. Roberts, an associate professor at King’s College London who long has studied Gulf Arab nations.
World Cup logs more than half the record of scoreless draws
The 0-0 draw between Uruguay and South Korea on Thursday was the fourth scoreless game of this year’s World Cup — already more than half the tournament record through the first set of matches.
The record for scoreless draws in the World Cup is seven, done four times, in 1982, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The 2018 tournament in Russia had only one 0-0 draw, between Denmark and France.
Through the 16 games completed Thursday, the Mexico-Poland, Denmark-Tunisia, Croatia-Morocco and South Korea-Uruguay matches all went scoreless.
Read more: FIFA World Cup: Neymar in tears after injury against Serbia
There were no scoreless draws in 1930, 1934, 1938, 1950 or 1954. Before the start in Qatar, the World Cup averaged more than two goals per game. The highest average came in 1954, when 140 goals were scored in 26 games at 5.38 per game.
The least prolific scoring World Cup was the 1990 tournament when 115 goals were scored at only 2.21 goals per game.
Read more: FIFA World Cup: Richarlison's second-half brace give Brazil 2-0 win over Serbia
2 brothers, 2 teams, 2 contrasting experiences at World Cup
Joy for the Williams family of Spain on Wednesday at the World Cup. Then despair for the same Williams family, who are also of Ghana, on Thursday.
Williams brothers Iñaki and Nico have managed to mark both sides of their family's heritage in a remarkable way at this World Cup in Qatar by playing for two different countries. They were both born in Spain but their parents are from Ghana.
Nico was part of the young Spain team that beat Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday in the tournament's most compelling performance so far. He came on as a second-half substitute to make his World Cup debut in Spain's record win at the tournament.
Read more: Ronaldo makes history, becomes first male player to score at five World Cups
A day later, big brother Iñaki played his first World Cup game for Ghana, a 3-2 loss to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
That meant a complicated 24 hours in the family home back in Spain with celebrations for 20-year-old Nico no doubt swiftly followed by commiserations for 28-year-old Iñaki. The same for the two brothers, who Ghana coach Otto Addo said both feel as Spanish as they do Ghanaian.
“I know that they both have a good strong relationship with their mother and their fatherland,” was how Addo put it.
Because of his love for his parents' country, Iñaki's integration into the Ghana team has been very easy, Addo added, even if he was born in Bilbao and raised in the Basque region.
Read more: Iranian soccer player arrested amid World Cup scrutiny
Iñaki, a forward just like Nico, played the whole game for Ghana against Portugal and stood in the center circle at Stadium 974 in Doha at the end with his hands on his head and looking bitterly disappointed with the loss.
“Maybe for some it’s difficult to understand but I think it’s really possible to have two countries in your heart,” Addo said of Iñaki. “And surely he has Ghana in his heart from day one. But also Spain.”
The story behind the situation involves their parents' decision to leave Ghana nearly 30 years ago to find a better life in Europe.
Never could Felix and Maria Williams have thought they would end up with two sons playing at the World Cup when they trekked barefoot through parts of a desert and climbed a fence to get into Spain in the early 1990s. Maria was pregnant with Iñaki at the time.
They settled in Bilbao and both boys grew up to be soccer players. They still play club soccer together for hometown team Athletic Bilbao.
Read more: Wales fans can wear rainbow hats in stadiums
The brothers' careers have always been connected, even after Iñaki decided this year to switch allegiance to Ghana and go back to his roots. Them playing for two different countries in the space of 24 hours was not the first time it has happened.
Iñaki made his debut for Ghana on Sept. 23 this year against Brazil. Nico made his first appearance for Spain against Switzerland a day later.
Iranian soccer player arrested amid World Cup scrutiny
Iran arrested a prominent former member of its national soccer team on Thursday over his criticism of the government as authorities grapple with nationwide protests that have cast a shadow over its competition at the World Cup.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported that Voria Ghafouri was arrested for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government."
Ghafouri, who was not chosen to go to the World Cup, has been an outspoken critic of Iranian authorities throughout his career. He objected to a longstanding ban on women spectators at men's soccer matches as well as Iran's confrontational foreign policy, which has led to crippling Western sanctions.
Read more: Women's protests overshadow Iran's World Cup loss
More recently, he expressed sympathy for the family of a 22-year-old woman whose death while in the custody of Iran's morality police ignited the latest protests. In recent days he also called for an end to a violent crackdown on protests in Iran's western Kurdistan region.
The reports of his arrest came ahead of Friday’s World Cup match between Iran and Wales. At Iran’s opening match, a 6-2 loss to England, the members of the Iranian national team declined to sing along to their national anthem and some fans expressed support for the protests.
The protests were ignited by the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police in the capital, Tehran. They rapidly escalated into nationwide demonstrations calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The western Kurdish region of the country, where both Amini and Ghafouri are from, has been the epicenter of the protests. Shops were closed in the region on Thursday following calls for a general strike.
Iranian officials have not said whether Ghafouri's activism was a factor in not choosing him for the national team. He plays for the Khuzestan Foolad team in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. The club's chairman, Hamidreza Garshasbi, resigned later on Thursday, the semiofficial ILNA news agency reported, without elaborating.
The protests show no sign of waning, and mark one of the biggest challenges to Iran's ruling clerics since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought them to power. Rights groups say security forces have used unleashed live ammunition and bird shot on the protesters, as well as beating and arresting them, with much of the violence captured on video.
At least 442 protesters have been killed and more than 18,000 detained since the start of the unrest, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests.
The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Thursday to condemn the crackdown and to create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children.
Read more: Activists: Iranian forces unleash heavy fire on protesters
Authorities have blamed the unrest on hostile foreign powers, without providing evidence, and say separatists and other armed groups have attacked security forces. Human Rights Activists in Iran says at least 57 security personnel have been killed, while state media have reported a higher toll.
The protesters say they are fed up after decades of social and political repression, including a strict dress code imposed on women. Young women have played a leading role in the protests, stripping off the mandatory Islamic headscarf to express their rejection of clerical rule.
Some Iranians are actively rooting against their own team at the World Cup, associating it with rulers they view as violent and corrupt. Others insist the national team, which includes players who have spoken out on social media in solidarity with the protests, represents the country’s people.
The team’s star forward, Sardar Azmoun, who has been vocal about the protests online, was on the bench during the opening match. In addition to Ghafouri, two other former soccer stars have been arrested for expressing support for the protests.
Other Iranian athletes have also been drawn into the struggle.
Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi competed without wearing the mandatory headscarf at an international competition in South Korea in October, a move widely seen as expressing support for the protests. She received a hero's welcome from protesters upon returning to Iran, even as she told state media the move was “unintentional” in an interview that may have been given under duress.
Earlier this month, Iran's football federation threatened to punish players on its beach soccer team after it defeated Brazil at an international competition in Dubai. One of the players had celebrated after scoring a goal by mimicking a female protester cutting off her hair.
Germany players cover mouths at World Cup in FIFA protest
Germany’s players covered their mouths for their team photo before their opening World Cup match in an apparent rebuke of FIFA’s clampdown on plans to wear armbands to protest discrimination in host nation Qatar.
The team lined up in the traditional formation before Wednesday’s game against Japan and each of the 11 players covered their mouth with their right hand.
It seemed to be a response to FIFA’s warning to the seven European federations, including Germany’s, that players would be penalized if they wore colorful “One Love” armbands as a symbol for inclusion and diversity. The seven team captains had planned to wear the armbands.
Read more: What is ‘One Love’ armband and why is FIFA against it in World Cup 2022?
Qatar has been under scrutiny for its human rights record and laws criminalizing homesexuality.
Soccer’s governing body issued the warning Monday just hours before the first teams were set to play with their captain wearing the armband. FIFA said the players would immediately be shown a yellow card.
Germany coach Hansi Flick and soccer federation president Bernd Neuendorf were among those to criticize FIFA’s decision.
Neuendorf has called the warning “another low blow” from FIFA. The governing body hasn’t commented on Wednesday’s gesture by the Germans.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is also responsible for sports, wore a “One Love” armband in the stands at the Germany-Japan game. Faeser tweeted a photo of herself wearing it with the hashtag #OneLove.
News agency DPA reported Faeser had the armband on under a pink blazer that she took off during the first half.
Faeser was sitting beside FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the game.
Read more: FIFA’s punishment threat forces European team captains to abandon ‘One Love’ armbands
Earlier, Faeser criticized Qatar for forcing a German fan to remove a rainbow-colored armband and headband at another game.
“This is not in line with my understanding of the security guarantees that I was given by the (Qatari) interior minister,” Faeser said. “Security must apply to all people. I’m very disappointed about this.”
The rainbow flag is a widely used as a symbol of tolerance with regard to sexual diversity.
Faeser said in her opinion “such symbols should be openly shown.”
Ronaldo begins fifth, probably final World Cup with match against Ghana Thursday
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the shop window as he starts his fifth and probably final World Cup with Portugal.
As of late Tuesday, the 37-year-old forward was without a club after Manchester United canceled his contract as a result of his explosive interview criticizing manager Erik ten Hag, the club’s owners and many of his United teammates.
Ronaldo doesn’t appear to have a new team lined up so his performances at the World Cup might yet convince potential employers to take the plunge on the five-time world player of the year, who may be past his prime but remains one of soccer’s most lethal finishers on his day.
Speaking before the announcement that he had left United by mutual consent, Ronaldo was adamant that club matters would not impact his displays for Portugal at the World Cup and were not disrupting the atmosphere in the squad heading into Thursday’s group game against Ghana at Stadium 974 in Doha.
That might need revisiting now. The motivation of winning the World Cup for the first time is likely driving Ronaldo enough in Qatar, but impressing a potential new club would be a nice bonus to go alongside it.
Read more: Ronaldo to leave Manchester United 'with immediate effect'
“Nothing will shake this squad,” Ronaldo said at a news conference in Doha this week. A loss to Ghana might.
The African nation is the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup — at No. 61 — and is the big underdog in a group also containing Uruguay and South Korea.
Still, Saudi Arabia showed anything is possible at this tournament by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina against the odds on Tuesday, and Ghana has previously come within a handball by Luis Suarez of playing in a World Cup semifinal — in 2010.
The Blacks Stars also have some form players in Thomas Partey — the midfield anchorman of Premier League leader Arsenal — and Mohammed Kudus, who has been scoring freely for Ajax in the Champions League this season.
Portugal will start as the favorite, with coach Fernando Santos having so much depth in attack, midfield and at full back as well as the experience of leading the national team to the European Championship title in 2016.
Concerns persist over whether Santos is too pragmatic given the talent at his disposal but he remains a popular choice as coach eight years after being hired. Santos has shown he isn’t afraid to make tough decisions by leaving Ronaldo out of a starting team in a Nations League game against Iberian rival Spain in June for “tactical reasons.”
Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo gambles on World Cup to restore reputation
Doing so again for the first match of a World Cup is highly unlikely, even if Ronaldo’s head might be scrambled given the turbulence in his club career over the past week.
Son likely in mask for South Korea vs. Uruguay at World Cup
Son Heung-min is likely to mask up as South Korea faces Uruguay in their Group H opener at the World Cup in Qatar.
Son has scored 35 goals in 104 internationals but hasn’t played since Nov. 2 when he sustained a fracture around his left eye in a collision with Marseille’s Chancel Mbemba in a Champions League match.
Son, who tied as Premier League top scorer last season, has said he expects to play with a protective mask. But there have to be worries about how effective he can be — and what the dangers are of playing with the mask, which he has worn in training since arriving in Qatar.
Much of South Korea’s offense is based around Son’s speed, his ability to strike with both feet, and his accuracy on dead-ball plays.
For Uruguay striker Luis Suarez will be playing in his fourth World Cup along with veteran teammate Edinson Cavani.
Suarez has scored seven World Cup goals. That is one short of national record holder Óscar Míguez, who played on the 1950 winning team.
Uruguay faces a generational change on the field with veteran players like Suarez and Cavani likely at their last World Cup.
Read more: Qatar World Cup: Croatia vs Morocco match ends in goalless draw
There's change on the bench, too. Oscar Tabarez is gone and replaced by Diego Alonso, who has little experience at this level. Tabarez led Uruguay at three World Cups but stepped away earlier this year after a series of poor results. It was Tabarez that took the team to the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Suarez is infamous for several biting incidents on the field. In a match in the 2018 World Cup in Brazil, he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder. The referee didn't see the incident, but Suarez faced severe retrospective action and was suspended from all football-related activity for four months, slapped with a nine-match international ban and given a big fine.
It was Suarez's second controversial World Cup moment. In the last minute of extra time at the 2010 quarterfinal match against Ghana, Suarez was sent off after he used his hands to keep out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header. Asamoah Gyan hit the bar on the ensuing penalty, and Suárez was shown celebrating on the sideline.
Ghana went on to lose the penalty shootout, thereby failing to become Africa’s first semifinalist as the continent staged its first World Cup.
Read more: Mexico and Poland play out 0-0 in group thrown open by Argentina’s defeat
Brazil and Serbia round out Group H, with many viewing Brazil as the tournament favorite.
World Cup: FIFA brings charge against Ecuador over 'discriminatory chants' at match vs Qatar
Discriminatory chants allegedly by Ecuador fans at the World Cup opening game led FIFA to open the first disciplinary case of the tournament on Tuesday.
FIFA said the charge was brought “due to chants” at the game against Qatar on Sunday and cited the section of its disciplinary code dealing with discrimination.
READ: FIFA denies Belgium’s request to wear jerseys with “Love” label at Qatar World Cup
The chants were reportedly directed at Chile, which brought a legal case ahead of the World Cup to try to take Ecuador’s place.
FIFA gave no timetable for dealing with the case against the Ecuadorian soccer federation, which is held responsible for fan behavior at games.
Ecuador fans also drew global attention to their chants in Spanish of “we want beer” during the team’s 2-0 win at Al Bayt Stadium. It was a reference to FIFA and Qatari organizers banning the sale of beer with alcohol at stadiums.
Argentines shocked, saddened by loss to Saudis at World Cup
Tears welled in the eyes of Oscar López as he washed the windows of the Buenos Aires building where he works as the superintendent.
A devoted fan of Argentina, the 67-year-old was visibly upset as he reflected on the bitter 2-1 loss by the national team, delivered by upstart Saudi Arabia on Monday at the World Cup in Qatar.
But the fact that Argentina was favored over the Saudis is no excuse, Lopez said.
“If they’re in the World Cup, no team is easy,” López said. “You always have to be careful.”
Most of Argentina got up early to watch the 7 a.m. match and the long-awaited debut of Lionel Messi’s team. Many walked to bakeries in Buenos Aires wearing the light-blue-and-white jerseys to grab snacks.
Sounds of cheering were heard in the streets at the kickoff. More noise followed when Messi scored early in the game, and the din of air horns penetrated the morning air.
But an eerie silence then set in, as what was supposed to be an easy match turned challenging. Saudi Arabia rallied with two second-half goals, and one of World Cup's favorites instead suffered one of its biggest upsets.
“The truth is, this is a disappointment, a big disappointment,” said Alejandro Pintos, a 36-year-old locksmith who opened his shop later than usual to watch the game. “This was the match that we had no choice but to win.”
Pintos said the national team was “very disorganized” — something he found particularly frustrating, given its 36-match unbeaten streak leading up to the tournament.
Read more: World Cup stunner: Saudi Arabia beat Messi’s Argentina 2-1
Local media quoted Messi as saying he was just as shocked as the fans on how things had turned out.
“It’s a very strong blow,” Messi said. “We didn’t expect to begin this way.”
Other fans took to social media to complain about three potential Argentina goals ruled out on offside calls.
Argentines were counting on the World Cup to bring a glimmer of a hope to a country that has been economically stagnant for years, suffering a nearly 100% inflation rate and where close to four in 10 live in poverty.
“I’m really quite bitter,” said Josefina Licera, a 27-year-old social worker, as she waited to take a bus to work. “I was really sure we were going to win, and it was a big surprise.”
Susana Leguizamón, 55, woke up early, put on her blue-and-white-striped Argentina jersey and was ready to celebrate.
“I was very, very, very surprised,” she said. “The truth is, we underestimated our rival.”
But Santiago Babarro, 40, said he wasn’t too shocked by the loss.
“The same thing always happens to Argentina," the retail worker said. "We say, ‘This is an easy match, we can win it easily,’ and then, bam! They put us in our place. We always believe we’re more than what we are.”
Sebastián Fabre said he woke up with an uneasy feeling and was worried about what he said was overconfidence by Argentina's fans.
“There was way too much unfounded optimism. I didn’t want to say anything but I think we were all way too overconfident,” he said.
Read more: Qatar World Cup: Messi scores as Argentina take 1-0 lead against Saudi Arabia
Leguizamón, who walked to her job at a restaurant still wearing her Argentina jersey, said she could feel the suffering of those around her.
“Everyone is very sad, very sad,” she said. “We all woke up with lots of hope.”
Some fans saw a silver lining in suffering adversity at the outset of the tournament. Argentina next plays Mexico on Saturday in the second Group C match.
“Really, it’s better that this happened in the first match and not in the quarterfinals,” Fabre said. “That’s the positive side to this.”
Leguizamón agreed.
“A trip is not a fall, as we say here,” she said, using a common Argentine expression. “I’m a big fan of the national team and I get in a really bad mood when it loses but my hope is intact.”
The saddest part, said 21-year-old retail worker Florencia Folgoso, "is having to go to work after watching a match that we lost. You already start the day with the left foot.”
FIFA denies Belgium’s request to wear jerseys with “Love” label at Qatar World Cup
FIFA has denied Belgium’s request to wear team jerseys with a “Love” label at the World Cup in Qatar because of a commercial link to a rave festival.
Multi-color detail on the white shirt was described as a “symbol for mutual values on diversity, equality and inclusivity” at the September launch by Belgium’s signature electronic music event Tomorrowland.
But FIFA rules on team uniforms and equipment forced Belgium to change its World Cup plans for its first alternate jersey to the traditional red.
“We had to skip it for commercial reasons because of referring to Tomorrowland,” the Belgian soccer federation said Monday.
FIFA declined to comment on its ruling regarding the second-choice jersey, which was made several weeks ago.
Read more: What is ‘One Love’ armband and why is FIFA against it in World Cup 2022?
The decision emerged Monday after FIFA flexed its power to crack down on Belgium and six other European teams for wanting their captains to wear the “One Love” armband with a multi-colored, heart-shaped logo in Qatar. The teams backed down when FIFA threatened instant yellow cards for each captain.
The armband, which breaks FIFA equipment rules, was to support a Dutch anti-discrimination campaign that drew attention to the host nation’s record on human rights.
The “One Love” campaign highlighted little-known FIFA rules that Belgium also fell foul of.
All 32 World Cup teams had to seek FIFA approval for designs and colors of three contrasting team uniforms months ahead of the tournament. FIFA has now approved the white Belgium jersey with the same colored trim but the “Love” label covered up on the inside of the collar.
“In principle we could play in it (at the World Cup),” the Belgian soccer federation said, “but meanwhile we chose to play in red for the group-stage matches.”
Belgium starts its Group F program against Canada on Wednesday. The 2018 World Cup semifinalists then play Morocco and Croatia, the losing finalist from four years ago.
Read more: FIFA’s punishment threat forces European team captains to abandon ‘One Love’ armbands
A similar case enforced by European soccer body UEFA last year saw Ajax denied permission to include a "Three Little Birds" motif on a shirt inspired by reggae music icon Bob Marley for Champions League games.
Ajax could wear the black shirt with gold, red and green trim to honor its fans' anthem but UEFA ruled the motif had to be removed from the back of the shirt.