England put on a show in 6-2 win as FIFA rejects OneLove armbands

Football

Published: 22 Nov. 2022, 14:10 Updated: 22 Nov. 2022, 15:23

England put on a show in 6-2 win as FIFA rejects OneLove armbands

England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Iran on Monday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

For 113 minutes at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Monday it was possible to forget the increasingly oppressive atmosphere that has come to surround the 2022 World Cup, the deaths, the human rights abuses, the crackdown on any suggestion that it might be alright for people to love whoever they want to love.

For nearly two hours as England beat Iran 6-2 it was only the football that mattered — a brief glimpse back to those halycon days when watching 22 men kick a ball around a pitch was still about the game itself.

England rained in goals at a shocking speed, with Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish each taking a goal each while Bukayo Saka scored a brace.

The dominant performance from the Three Lions started with Bellingham’s goal in the 35th minute and continued with remarkable consistency until Grealish added No. 6 in the 90th minute. All six goals came from open play, with England capitalizing on their rapid speed and some deadly accuracy to dominate from the start.

Iran were unlucky from the start. Just 10 minutes in, goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collided with his own defender Majid Hosseini, ending up with a very bloody nose and what looked like a definite concussion. Beiranvand tried to play on but ended up being stretchered off minutes later to be replaced by Hossein Hosseini.

In the face of the onslaught that followed, the Iranian squad remained calm and collected. Appearing to be largely good sports even as the score continued to pile up against them.

The Middle Eastern side finally pulled one back in the 65th minute when Mehdi Taremi beat Jordan Pickford with a shot off the crossbar, adding one more in injury time with a penalty after John Stones was caught on VAR pulling shirts in the box.

A stock photo shows a OneLove armband [REUTERS/YONHAP]

As notable as the emphatic score, however, was the drama off them pitch. Hours before the game started the England camp received word that the OneLove armbands that a number of European squads had intended to allow their captains to wear would be banned and any player wearing it would be booked.

England was one of a number of European teams that intended to use the OneLove armband, which has a rainbow on it and is worn to promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination. The armband had been worn at UEFA tournaments throughout the year, and the clubs had applied to also use it at the World Cup.

FIFA’s last minute decision to ban the armband, under a combination of rules against making political statements and wearing only FIFA-designated equipment, at the last minute has been widely interpreted as the organization bowing to pressure from the Qatari government, which enforces a seven-year prison sentence for homosexuality.

The Iranian football team, meanwhile, refused to back down on their own political protest. When the Iranian national anthem played before the game, the entire squad refused to sing in what is believed to be a protest against the recent authoritarian crackdown against political protesters in Iran.

Iran players listen to the national anthem ahead of a Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B match against England at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Monday. [AFP/YONHAP]

The long arm of FIFA’s politics police was visible again in the Iranian protests, with multiple reports that Iranian fans carrying the pre-1979 Persian Flag, used by anti-government campaigners in Iran, were denied entry to the stadium.

Not to be denied their chance to peacefully protest, Iranian fans in the stadium raised a flag reading “Woman, Life, Freedom,” during the game.

The two matches that followed the England vs. Iran game — Senegal vs. the Netherlands and the USA vs. Wales — also ran afoul of the FIFA crackdown.

Both the Dutch and Welsh captains had planned to wear the OneLove armbands but were forced to back down at the last minute. Welsh fans also reported that security both inside and outside the stadium confiscated their rainbow hats, with former Welsh international and trustee of the Football Association of Welsh Laura McAllister confirming that her hat had also been confiscated by security.

Dutch players celebrate at the end of a Group A match between Senegal and Netherlands at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

Back on the pitch, the Netherlands blanked Senegal for a 2-0 win, with goals from Cody Gakpo and a late addition by Davy Klaassen allowing the Dutchmen to tie with Ecuador at the top of Group A.

Timothy Weah handed the USA the lead in the 36th minute at Al Rayyan Stadium in Doha in the last game of the day, only for Gareth Bale to pull it back with a penalty less than 10 minutes before the whistle to tie the score at 1-1.

With the draw, England sit proud at the top of Group B, followed by the USA and Wales on one point each and Iran trailing in fourth place.

Wales' Gareth Bale celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during a World Cup match against the United States at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

Group C and Group D will both play their first games on Tuesday, with Argentina taking on Saudi Arabia, Denmark playing Tunisia, Mexico facing Poland and France taking on Australia.

Denmark will be taking to the field in a toned down kit designed as a form of protest for this World Cup, with all details distinguished only by minor differences in shade on the bright red and jet black kits. While FIFA may have banned the armbands, they are unable to prevent the Danes from playing in a kit that avoids breaking any rules.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]