Dutch Soccer Captain Stripped of Armband After Refusing OneLove Campaign Support

Last week, Redouan El Yaakoubi, refusing to wear the OneLove armband, put on a "Respect" armband instead. This time, the player of Moroccan origin and one of his teammates, Marouan Azarkan, also of Moroccan origin, refused to pose in front of an OneLove poster, which led the club to remove the captain’s armband from El Yaakoubi.

"The refusal to stand in front of the large OneLove banner during the team photo has caused a lot of tension and incomprehension, both internally and externally. As a result, we found ourselves, as a club and a player, in an uncomfortable situation," Excelsior said in a statement published on its website.

As a football club, Excelsior believes it also has a "social function". But it acknowledges that "forcing people to do something is never the right approach". That’s why it was decided, "together, in the interest of the club, the player and our sporting goals, to entrust the captain’s armband to another member of the team".

The new captain of Excelsior will be known before the home match against FC Twente scheduled for Saturday. It could be Sven Nieuwpoort, since he has already worn the captain’s armband once in February, in El Yaakoubi’s absence. The player of Moroccan origin has remained firm on his position since October when he refused to participate in the OneLove action during the away match against Ajax.