England and Belgium Among Seven Countries to Confirm They Will Not Wear OneLove Armband in Qatar

• England has made a U-turn and confirmed the Three Lions squad will not wear the OneLove rainbow armband in Qatar
• A joint statement from England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland confirmed this decision
• FIFA initially threatened to book any captain who decides to wear the controversial armband in any game at the World Cup

England, alongside 6 other nations, has declared they would not be wearing the OneLove armband, just hours before the Three Lions' World Cup opener against Iran.

FIFA had threatened to book any captain wearing the controversial rainbow armband in World Cup matches, although England had been adamant about wearing it.

According to Sky Sports, a statement released by the football associations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland confirmed they would no longer wear the armband at the World Cup.

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England captain Harry Kane had been adamant that he would wear the armband as a message of anti-discrimination and support for the LGBTQ+ community, but that will no longer be the case.

The football associations reckoned they can't put their players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, and have to respect FIFA guidelines.

England face injuries before Iran

Meanwhile, England will be without both James Maddison and Kyle Walker for Monday’s World Cup opener against Iran, as both players have failed to recover from injury on time, Evening Standard reports.

Maddison has missed the majority of England's training sessions in Qatar due to a minor knee injury he is still dealing with.

England manager, Gareth Southgate also confirmed Manchester City right-back Walker is making steady progress from his injury, but will not be available for selection against Iran.

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Neuer pledges to wear armband

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Germany captain Manuel Neuer said he has 'no fear' about possible repercussions from FIFA for his country's human rights stances.

Neuer had pledged to wear the controversial OneLove rainbow armband during matches to promote diversity and inclusion, while acknowledging the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Qatar World Cup.

The captains of several European countries had also pledged to wear the armband, including those of Germany, England, Belgium and Denmark.