FIFA World Cup 2022: Germany players cover their mouth ahead in the opening match against Japan

All
the
11
players
had
their
mouths
covered
with
their
hands
in
the
team
photo,
which
seems
a
stand
against
the
ongoing
issues
between
FIFA
and
Germany.

Germany
were
one
of
the
teams
who
were
threatened
by
FIFA
to
not
take
a
stand
against
the
human
rights
violations
in
Qatar.
There
were
warnings
of
players
getting
carded
to
a
possible
suspension.
Earlier,
the

German
FA
took
FIFA
to
court
over
the
armband
ban
as
they
were
not
allowed
to
wear
the
One
Love
armband.

FIFA
World
Cup
2022:
Belgium
sanctioned
by
FIFA

And
now
the
players
have
taken
a
stand.

“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,”
stated
the
German
team’s
official
social
media
handle.

The
official
handle
also
captioned
with
the
team
photo
that
wrote

‘Armband
or
No
Armband,
we
stand
by
our
position.’

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.

pic.twitter.com/tiQKuE4XV7

—
Germany
(@DFB_Team_EN)

November
23,
2022

There
was
also
a
bizarre
check
on
Manuel
Neuer
as
the
German
captain’s
armband
was
checked
by
the
referees.
It
has
to
be
seen
how
the
other
teams
react
after
Germany
showcased
their
stand
on
the
FIFA
sanctions.

The
hand
on
the
mouth
clearly
depicts
the
message
of
clear
rejection
from
the
German
players
towards
the
strict
ruling
of
FIFA.
The
human
rights
violations,
from
ill-treatment
to
migrant
workers
to
homophobic
rules
in
Qatar
have
marred
this
tournament
and
tarnished
the
beauty
of
the
game
that
brings
people
together
and
promotes
inclusion
and
solidarity.

It
has
to
be
seen
how
FIFA
reacts
to
this
strong
message
from
the
German
contingent.