Some World Cup players had threatened to wear rainbow armbands in the tournament to protest religious laws in Qatar. Particularly, the rainbow bands were meant to protest the fact that homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
Apparently, those players have changed their minds. Likewise, the U.S. Men’s team did not display any signs of activism, likely for a few reasons.
First, FIFA says that anyone who pulls a stunt like this will receive on-field penalties. That is a language that players understand. None of them want to get this far in their career to get penalties over ideology.
Another reason is that FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke out against disrespect for the host country on Saturday night in an emotional tirade. He accused those who were speaking out against local laws of “moral lesson-giving” and “hypocrisy.” He also spoke about the government’s decision to reverse its stance on beer sales during the games.
“I think personally, if for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive.” In fact, you are more likely to survive if you don’t drink beer.
