The captain of the Croatian national football team, Luka Modrić, will not wear a rainbow armband during the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) confirmed.
Some of European participating national teams joined the “One Love” campaign that aims to “support inclusiveness and condemn discrimination.” Team captains are ready to wear armbands that include a rainbow and a heart to support the LGBT community.
Captains of England, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Wales want to wear those armbands. It is currently only a plan, as FIFA has not yet permitted players to wear their own armband designs.
As reported by the media, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and Poland refused to participate in the campaign.
The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) announced that if FIFA allows for wearing rainbow armbands, they will ask the organization to allow Modrić to wear an armband with the Croatian flag.
“For us, the Croatian flag is a symbol of patriotism, pride, passion, and love for the homeland and family; these identify Croatia’s national team. We believe, that our flag symbolizes many more values than any single campaign could, and inclusiveness is definitely one of the values of our nation,” said HNS representatives.
Last year, during the European Championships, some teams kneeled before the matches to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Croatians officially refused to make this gesture.
“Kneeling in the context of Croatian culture and tradition is not a symbol of the fight against racism or discrimination,” they explained at the time.
