FIFA’s armband fiasco a poor curtain-raiser for England’s rout of Iran

Doha: Of all the explicit and implicit statements made at the Khalifa International stadium this day, the loudest was made by England in its 6-2 demolition of the potentially dangerous Iran. Loudest does not necessarily mean most important, but it does mean that it will resound in the immediate future that is the duration of this tournament. It wasn’t merely a statement, it was a proclamation.

The next loudest statement was made by FIFA in its last-minute decision to threaten bookings for any player who wore a OneLove armband. The captains of England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Wales had resolved to don them in solidarity with ostracised LGBTQ people in Qatar.

It was the second eleventh-hour FIFA clampdown at this tournament, following the prohibition of beer sales in stadiums two days before the opening match. Both decisions were announced peremptorily and with a heavy hand. The European leagues had sought to confer with FIFA about the armbands months ago and got no reply.

Whether these strictures were FIFA’s own work or imposed by the Qatari royal family, they again highlight the absurdity of holding the tournament here.

FIFA is having an awful World Cup. FIFA is awful. It can’t help itself in its autocracy. It makes the IOC look like Save The Children and the AFL like the Red Cross. At issue this day were mere armbands, not protests, banners, broadcasts or the storming of the Bastille. We expect heart on sleeve and brains in boots, so why not a bit of conscience on the bicep? So much for the slogan “Now Is All”.

But FIFA is a bully. It backed the players into an impossible corner, and not one that might lead to a goal. Arguably, the ban itself is a breach of human rights, a form of coercion in the workplace.

England captain Harry Kane, fouled here by Iran’s Morteza Pouraliganji, wore a FIFA-approved armband rather than the inclusive OneLove armband after the governing body threatened to sanction captains who carried the LGBTQ messaging.Credit: AP

FIFA president Gianni Infantino fancies himself as a sage and pioneer, but is in fact a common standover man. Don’t forget that somewhere in his trophy cabinet at home is an Order of Friendship medal he received from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2019.

It is possible to be both disappointed and empathetic with the players. FIFA wedged them. In any case, what this day demonstrated most clearly – other than England’s World Cup credentials – are the limits of player advocacy and the World Cup as a proxy as an enlightenment movement and the game as a de facto United Nations.

So many statements were made that any one struggled to make itself heard. That is not to minimise the worthiness of any of them, but it became a cacophony.

Pre-match, there was a declaration by Irani striker Karim Ansarifard, in the context of a brutal crackdown in Iran against women protesting their subordination, that his team was playing for all his countryfolk.

Iranian fans at the stadium make their own statements.Credit: AP

“It’s always an honour to represent our country,” he said. “We play for all men and women from our country. When I say people from our country, there are no exceptions. Those people include all male and all females.”

Noticeably, none of the Iranian team sang the national anthem pre-match. In the stands, Iranian women were seen crying and waving banners that read “Women, life, freedom”. At home, they would not be seen at all in a stadium. To complete the set, England maintained their recent custom of taking the knee just before the first whistle.

On the pitch, there was no clutter or confusion. Every team in Group B is ranked in the top 20. It’s deadly. But between England and Iran this day, there was a gulf. England scored six and might have had at least two more. Their football throughout was sharp, busy and well-worked, a contrast to the lacklustre output in six winless games leading into the tournament.

All the goals were crisply taken and became progressively easier as Iran wilted. There was a brace for Bukayo Saka, goals also for Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham, and when they gave way to the subs, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish joined in. Harry Kane did not score, but that was a bonus because nothing is surer than that he will. The tournament is on notice.

Iran’s two goals in counterpoint need not concern England unduly. A series of injury disruptions and two long VAR consultations prolonged this match interminably; 25 minutes of added time were played over two halves. Any team might have been lulled. Iran’s second goal was from a penalty that was the last act of the match and could reasonably be called posthumous. By then, much of the crowd had vacated. They were making their own statement.

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