FIFA Rejects Muslim Teams’ Proposal for Anti-Islamophobia Armbands at World Cup

"Qatar and some of the other predominantly Muslim teams were in advanced discussions to see if players could wear armbands to raise awareness of the growing Islamophobia movement," said a senior Qatari official to Sky News, who has drawings of the fabric featuring the colors of the keffiyeh, a traditional scarf worn in the Arab world, notably in Palestine, many flags of which have been waved in the stands during the competition or by players, such as those of Morocco, on December 6.

Qatari officials had considered that the captains of the Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Morocco teams would wear the armbands bearing the inscription: "No place for Islamophobia." "When the armband proposal was finally discussed with FIFA, they were told it violated FIFA rules and would not be allowed," said a senior Qatari official. "The teams accepted the decision but were disappointed that an important issue like this, which has a negative impact on millions of Muslims worldwide, did not receive a platform at the first World Cup held in a predominantly Muslim region."

Speaking on the subject, FIFA said it was unaware of any proposal and did not send anyone to speak.