2022 FIFA World Cup: ‘Courageous’ English Reporter Alex Scott Sports OneLove LGBTQ Armband in Qatar

• Alex Scott has worn a 'OneLove' rainbow armband, during the BBC's pre-match coverage of England's game against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium
• This comes off the back of an aborting of the initial plan by England and a host of European nations, who had planned to protest Qatar's homophobic stance
• The rainbow-inspired armbands have been widely viewed as a symbolic protest against laws in the World Cup host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal

BBC reporter Alex Scott boldly sported the #OneLove armband after England’s decision to abandon the gesture over FIFA sanctions.

The former footballer-turned-reporter opted to wear the controversial #OneLove armband while reporting on England's Group B opener against Iran, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

Alex, who made 140 appearances for England, chose to sport the much-talked-about armband as a gesture of support for the LGBTQ community, Daily Mail reports.

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The idea of sporting the rainbow-coloured armband was the original idea of England and nine other European nations, who vowed to defy the competition's rules in protest of Qatar's homophobic stance.

According to Euro Sport, all the ten nations - including England - have backtracked on their declaration of their intentions of permitting their captains to wear the #OneLove armband.

It remains to be seen if Scott's single act of bravery will inspire England and the other nine nations to sport the armband in their subsequent games, as the tournament in Qatar unfolds.

How did social media react?

@Rahul_kumar005 saluted Scott:

"I respect her for this. Earlier I didn't like the fact that she still went to Qatar after all the drama. But to wear the armband at Qatar when multiple FAs had to back down takes some courage."

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@KarolineJohnse9 added:

"I'm proud of her."

@Cavani999999 had a different opinion:

"So disrespectful, English ppl have no respect for going to someone else's land."

@Dang93_ reasoned:

"If she’s cared that much she would’ve protested by not going. Money talks though."

OneLove: European nations abandon plans

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that England, Germany and five other European teams at the World Cup abandoned plans on Monday to wear a rainbow-themed armband in support of LGBTQ rights, citing the threat of disciplinary action from FIFA.

"FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play," the seven teams said in a joint statement.

Under FIFA rules, players wearing kit that is not authorised by football's world governing body could be shown a yellow card.