MANCHESTER, England, June 30 (Reuters) - Captains will be permitted to wear armbands with messages about inclusion, gender equality and peace at the Women's World Cup, an about-face for FIFA after rainbow armbands were not allowed at the men's tournament last year in Qatar.
Team skippers will have the choice of eight different topics as part of FIFA's "Football Unites the World" campaign, selected in consultation with the 32 participating teams, players and United Nations agencies.
Men's team captains from England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark had planned to wear "OneLove" armbands at the men's World Cup to protest Qatar's laws against same-sex relationships.
"Football unites the world and our global events, such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, have a unique power to bring people together and provide joy, excitement and passion," Infantino said in Friday's statement.
Captains have three options: they can wear the "Football Unites the World" armband, an armband corresponding to the theme of their choice for the entire tournament, or the armband corresponding to the theme of the specific match day.
Persons:
Gianni Infantino, Infantino, It's, Fatma Samoura, Lori Ewing
Organizations:
FIFA, Team, Football, United Nations, Thomson
Locations:
MANCHESTER, England, Qatar, FIFA's, Wales, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand