Arm Band – Wagon?

To be given the captaincy in any sport is an honour, no matter how it comes about. With that honour comes responsibility.

Captaincy is awarded to individuals for a number of reasons, it can be because of recognised leadership qualities in terms of what an individual says, or what they do. In Australia in many sports they believe in giving the captaincy to the best player. Captains today are elected by players, coaches and also still by committees, and each has their reasons for making the decision.

No matter how that decision is reached the individual given that honour has a responsibility to their team mates, their club and/or country, all of their supporters and those they represent who may be associated to the name of the team, which could be a town, a city or a country. They are expected to set the tone in terms of behaviour that all of these sections of the community feel reflects them in a good and positive light. It is at times no easy task.

At the FIFA World Cup in Qatar there has been a fair amount of hullabaloo in relation to the captain’s armband; an item used to make it clear who is in charge on the field of play. Many of the teams were looking to wear a rainbow design on their captain’s armband to support the rights of the LGBTIQA+ community. (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual and other sexually or gender diverse). The reason for this has been promoted as being that they do not agree with the laws of the host nation where homosexuality is illegal, rather than necessarily promoting the rights of this section of the community globally. Had that been the message there may have been less of a backlash.

Of course the first question here is should the captain, who is ultimately representing a large cross-section of people when wearing his nation’s colours be making such a statement? It is fine to do so as an individual, but when leading your country at an international event does the team have the right to vote on such an issue when a nation is being represented? Whether you agree with the team and the captain supporting the rights of this section of the community or others, there will always be a group of people who do not agree. They will understandably ask who is listening to their voice?

As we have seen in recent times there are individuals who have taken a stand against a stance taken by the sporting organisation that they play for, because their beliefs differ from those being promoted. In some cases the differences have been handled well by those in charge and harmony is maintained. In other cases it has not, and has become a public relations disaster.

What is sad, and also lost on many of these occasions is that the individuals concerned are entitled to have a differing opinion. To stand up for a alternate view when many around you have a different view, or have opted to go with the flow takes courage. Whether you agree with their opinion or not these individuals deserve respect for having the courage to stand by what they believe, and also speaking up for those beliefs; of course that respect comes from the manner in which they air those beliefs. It is vital that they too do it in a respectful way. It is one thing to have freedom of speech, but that freedom comes with responsibilities.

Irrespective of one’s beliefs one has to question the decision by FIFA to threaten team captains at the World Cup in Qatar with a yellow card if they wore the rainbow captain’s armband. (Crossing The Line – Politics and Sport)

The teams we were advised decided to not wear the armband because it could effect the captain’s participation later in the tournament. The issue is that FIFA has changed the rules relating to yellow cards at the 2022 World Cup. In this event a player can pick up two yellow cards in seperate games before triggering an automatic one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.

For a player who has served a suspension after picking up two yellow cards that rule will trigger again every subsequent two yellow cards. This means a player picking up four yellow cards would again be suspended for another match.

In previous World Cups any yellow cards picked up in the Group games were wiped out when teams entered the knock-out stages. The thinking behind this was that it would ensure the possibility of the world’s best players being on the pitch for the big games.

In 2022 yellow card accumulation does carry over from the group stage to the knockout stage. So any yellow cards picked up in the group stage do count for accumulation purposes while competing in the Round of 16 and quarter finals.

The yellow card count will however reset after the quarterfinals. Only then will the slate be wiped clean, which means that any semifinal participants would not risk missing the final due to yellow card accumulation. Only if they receive two yellow cards in a game and are sent-off.

So suddenly the yellow card for wearing the armband becomes a great deal more relevant, even if the said captains have hardly ever picked up a yellow card at international level. If they had received one in the opening game for wearing the armband and then received one in their second group match they could be suspended for the crucial third match or if the team progresses, in the knockout stages leading up to the semi-finals.

What the system does throw up now is the very real possibility of captains of the semi-finalists opting to wear the armband, or a very real possibility that they will if their side makes the final. Surely in such showpiece games the impact is going to be far greater than had FIFA allowed them to be worn in the opening Group games?

In relation to a yellow card being issued to a captain for wearing a rainbow armband one wonders where such a ruling has come from.

FIFA’s own regulations state that a yellow card is used by the referee to caution a player for unsporting behaviour, consistently infringing the rules of the game, dissent, or delaying the restart of the game. If the referee has to show one player two yellow cards in a game, that player must leave the field of play.

According to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Regulations under the section “Disciplinary Procedures” in section 2 it states: “FIFA may introduce new disciplinary rules and measures for the duration of the FIFA World Cup 2022™. Such rules shall be communicated to the Participating Member Associations one month before the first match of the final competition at the latest.”

Was the yellow card for wearing a rainbow armband raised a month before the first game? If so why were so few aware of the consequences until the opening day of the tournament? If it wasn’t, then surely any team captain who wore the armband could mount a legal challenge to any such situation as it falls outside the laws of the game laid down by the Game’s governing body? The same body that is looking to penalise them.

How much does the individual or the national team believe in what they are promoting?

In modern day football there are players who support causes that are close their hearts. There are also some who will be seen to support a cause because it will be good for their image, and help their earning capacity. However, to prevent players from airing those views is a form of dictatorship.

Yes, the World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet. The football should always be centre stage. The game should not be used for political purposes. However when those in power make decisions that are not made by following the best practices they cannot be surprised to find out that they no longer have a right to control the moral high ground.

Gone are the days when the powers that be can dictate, as the English FA did making their team give the Nazi salute in a game against Germany in Munich in 1938. It is worth remembering that at that time only one player refused to give the salute, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stan Cullis. He was not selected for that game and never played for England again. The War certainly played its part in that eventuating, but some wonder how much his sticking to his principles contributed to that fact.

If you truly believe in something you have to stand up for those beliefs and never compromise your own principles.