MADINAT ASH SHAMAL, Qatar (AP) ā Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set to defy FIFAās campaign for captains to wear only official armbands with selected slogans at World Cup games.
āYes,ā the veteran goalkeeper said Saturday when asked at the Germany training camp about overriding a new FIFA project backed by United Nations agencies.
The launch a day before the opening World Cup match seemed designed to supplant a pledge by European teams to wear their own armbands as part of an anti-discrimination campaign drawing attention to host nation Qatarās laws and record on human rights issues.
World Cup rules require that equipment such as captainsā armbands must be authorized and provided by FIFA, but Neuer confirmed he will wear the āOne Loveā design even if it comes with a fine.
āItās good that we have the power with other nations in western Europe,ā Neuer said.
Although Germany does not play until Wednesday, against Japan, three teams which joined the āOne Loveā campaign in September will play on Monday: England, the Netherlands and Wales.
FIFA had not directly addressed the Europeansā request several weeks ago for permission to wear the heart-shaped, multi-colored logo, then unveiled its counter proposal on Saturday.
The FIFA choice of slogans for group games include āSaveThePlanet,ā āProtectChildrenā and āShareTheMeal.ā
The slogan āNoDiscriminationā is scheduled to appear at quarterfinal stage.
āObviously the short notice is surprising,ā Germany team director Oliver Bierhoff said within two hours of the announcement. āIt looks as if FIFA doesnāt have a clear stance.ā
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports