German National Team Stages Protest In Opening World Cup Game Despite Warnings From FIFA

German National Team Protests In Opening World Cup Game (PHOTO)

Getty Image


The German National Soccer Team, playing in their first match of their 2022 World Cup, staged a protest in the pregame photos prior to their game against Japan.

In the team photo, every single member of the German National Team is covering their mouthes to highlight how they’re being silenced by FIFA, who would not allowed teams to wear rainbow-colored captain’s armbands as a show of activism.

“We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect. Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard,” the team said in a statement on social media.

“It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us. Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position.”

In addition to Germany, six other European nations — England, Wales, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, and Belgium — were planning to wear the armbands in Qatar. However, those plans changed once FIFA warned them that the captain wearing it would receive a yellow card as soon as the match began. This is an issue because yellow cards in the World Cup are cumulative, meaning if a player were to be yellow carded in their first and second match, they’d miss the third group stage match through suspension.

RELATED: Saudi Arabia Fan Hilariously Rips Door Off Its Hinges While Celebrating Goal Against Argentina

Eric Italiano BroBIble avatar
Eric Italiano is a NYC-based writer who spearheads BroBible's Pop Culture and Entertainment content. He covers topics such as Movies, TV, and Video Games, while interviewing actors, directors, and writers.