Forward of their sport towards Japan on the World Cup in Qatar on Wednesday, gamers from Staff Germany assembled on the pitch and lined their mouths in an act of protest.
The gamers have been upset that soccer governing physique FIFA had earlier stopped captains from a number of European groups from sporting armbands in assist of the LGBTQ neighborhood.
“We needed to make use of our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we maintain within the Germany nationwide group: range and mutual respect. Along with different nations, we needed our voice to be heard,” the group mentioned in a press release posted to their official Twitter account.
“It wasn’t about making a political assertion – human rights are non-negotiable. That must be taken with no consideration, however it nonetheless isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so essential to us,” the group mentioned. “Denying us the armband is identical as denying us a voice. We stand by our place.”
