&w=3840&q=100)
Explained: Why the rainbow armband is dividing opinions at Women's Euro 2025
The rainbow armband, which is meant to show support for LGBTQ+ rights and diversity, is creating mixed reactions at the ongoing Women's Euro 2025 in Switzerland. It is dividing opinions among players and fans despite being a symbol of inclusion.
Some captains like Switzerland's Lia Walti, Norway's Ada Hegerberg, England's Leah Williamson, and Wales' Angharad James have proudly worn the rainbow armband. Even England defender Lucy Bronze added a rainbow wristband during their quarterfinal win against Sweden.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Also Read:
Why is rainbow armband dividing opinions?
But not everyone is wearing it. Spain's Irene Paredes chose not to wear the colourful band, and France's captain Griedge Mbock Bathy wore a plain armband with the word 'Respect' instead. UEFA has given teams a choice between the rainbow armband and the 'Respect' version.
France explained their decision, saying the rainbow armband focuses too much on just one issue, whereas the Respect band is of wider range. 'Highlighting a single issue also potentially excludes the others. We cannot champion a single cause through our diverse group because there are so many causes to defend,' Mbock said.
More from Football
'Our team is so diverse that we cannot highlight just one cause. I think that the armband with the word 'respect' really represents what we want to convey as a message and that is the most important thing,' she added.
Out of 16 teams in the tournament, nine have worn the rainbow armband. 'Standard yellow and blue armbands are provided to all teams and rainbow armbands are available upon request,' UEFA told Associated Press. This means that the teams who chose to wear the rainbow armband made an intentional decision.
Also Read:
This debate is not new. A similar controversy happened during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where FIFA banned the rainbow 'One Love' armband. German players famously covered their mouths in the team photo after their first match to protest the ban, saying they were being silenced. FIFA banned the armband because same sex relationships are not legal in Qatar.
Qatari fans later responded with their own protest by holding pictures of Mesut Ozil, referencing racism he faced in Germany. Germany was a big supporter of rainbow armbands but later some voices, like coach Julian Nagelsmann, asked for fewer political statements in football because they distract from the game.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Women's EURO 2025: Lauren James' return boosts England ahead of final against Spain
England forward Lauren James has recovered from injury in time for the final of the Women's European Championship against World Cup winner Spain on Sunday. James had to come off at halftime in England's semifinal victory over Italy on Tuesday with an ankle problem and was seen applying ice to her injury during the match. However, the Chelsea player trained on Saturday with the rest of the Lionesses. 'We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through,' England coach Sarina Wiegman said on the eve of the final. ALSO READ | Spain's style up against England's will in title clash 'So if everyone recovers well, then we have 23 players available for tomorrow. I think we have many players that can impact, and we know that she can have an impact too, so that'd be nice,' she added. James was a major doubt even before the tournament after a hamstring injury ended her season in April. But the 23-year-old has started all five of England's games at Euro 2025 and has been a continuous threat. James scored twice in the 4-0 win over the Netherlands in the second group-stage match. 'I think we have a team of talented players,' England captain Leah Williamson said. 'Lauren brings something slightly obviously having that available is a best-case scenario for us.' England is the defending champion but lost to Spain in the World Cup final in 2023.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Could not find the right group of players for national team: Manolo Marquez
After four years in India, Manolo Marquez said it was a dream to become the national team coach Panaji: Manolo Marquez admits he was 'arrogant' in thinking everything would go according to plan with the national football team. A win at home against Bangladesh, a long preparatory camp for the second qualifier and then full-time as India coach. But even before the FC Goa coach could fully step into the role, he knew his time was over. The experienced Spaniard explains what went wrong with his one-year stint as India coach in this exclusive interview with TOI. Excerpts… How would you describe the year that you spent with the national team? Difficult. After four years in India, it was my dream to become the national team coach, but if you look at the results (one win from eight games), there's little I can say. I accept maximum responsibility. Looking back, do you have any regrets, possibly because this may leave a blot on your coaching career? In my first press conference in Delhi, I said that I wanted to find the correct group (of players). I never found that. In eight games, across five FIFA international windows, I called up 49 players, 42 of whom had previously played internationally for at least one minute. My only regret is that I could not find the correct group to work with. There were lot of challenges; some players, for example, arrived in better shape than the others. Would it be any different if you just coached India and not continued with FC Goa? I had two jobs (club and country), which is not very common. But there were a lot of cases in world football. The reality is that things did not work with the national team and worked with Goa (finishing second in ISL and winning the Super Cup). I tried to do everything in the best interest of the national team. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 25 of the Best Cities to Live In Learn More Undo You hold yourself primarily responsible for the results, but did you get enough support from the federation, support staff, players, administrators? Could the federation do better? Yes. The staff? Yes. The players? Yes. It's not about pointing fingers. The reality is that we didn't choose the correct players, at the correct moment. We didn't convert clear chances, but that's part of football. I am grateful to the federation because they gave me this opportunity. But things were not working, and I was certain that I didn't want to continue after the fourth FIFA window (in March 2025) in Shillong. I told myself, 'this is not the place for me.' I informed the federation (verbally), but the time was too short to find a replacement. Manolo Marquez has had successful spells with Hyderabad FC and FC Goa but his India assignment did not go as planned Would you say the same if results were different? Like a win against Bangladesh at home, and Hong Kong away, in the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers? Yes, I was very clear, 200%. I was convinced. I wanted to defeat Hong Kong and leave when India is on top, or at least level (with the group leaders). Subrata (Paul, director of the national team) is new to this job. I don't know if he is ready, but he wants to help. I had good conversations with Subrata and (AIFF president) Kalyan Chaubey. Was it a wrong time for you to take charge of the national team? You can never choose. I must say in some moments, I was arrogant. When I accepted a dual role, I knew the international fixtures. I thought some friendlies (for preparations), then a game against Bangladesh at home which we will win. Then a long training camp before the Hong Kong game where we can prepare well. And once that was done (with good results), I would be full time India coach. In terms of preparation, I did everything. I also feel that we don't have the same conditions as the opponents. For Bangladesh, suddenly they have (Premier League footballer) Hamza Choudhary, while Hong Kong played with six naturalised players. They had guys from Cameroon, Chile, Brazil. I feel these Asian Cup qualifiers for India are win-win: If you qualify, the target is achieved. If you don't, India will be forced to change the rules. You cannot keep going down. Your choice of players, both probables and starters, invited criticism… I f you ask 200 people, they will give you 200 different lists. I was wrong because it didn't work out. But if we scored against Bangladesh and Hong Kong from a clear chance, then the selection would be correct. Contrary to what everyone says, the performance against Hong Kong was not a disaster. It was an equal game. Hong Kong played with several naturalised players, who were playing in their league for five or six years. Imagine I have Mourtada Fall, Edu Bedia, Barth Ogbeche (for the national team). The score will clearly be in our favour. The selection of players from FC Goa for the national team also raised questions… It was expected. In the beginning, when Goa didn't start well, we had only two players. At the time, people said I was not selecting players from Goa because I didn't want them to be tired. When we finished the league in good shape, there were five players, of which only two were in the starting lineup. You cannot fight (with everyone). This is part of our job, this is why coaches get paid. Everyone said India needs younger players. But when I give someone a chance, he gets hammered (on social media by fans). A lot of people speak about Indian football, but nobody does anything. If we – I say we because I am a part – want Indian football to progress, we all have to move in the same direction.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola's applications were not genuine: AIFF
A day after its top official claimed that World Cup-winning Spanish great Xavi Hernandez was among the applicants for India football coach 's position, the All India Football Federation said that the e-mail received in his name was found to be "not genuine" and three others have been short-listed for the job. The AIFF did not reveal the names in the pruned list but it is widely believed that Khalid Jamil , currently the head coach of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, is the front-runner for the post left vacant by Spaniard Manolo Marquez . Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Degree Digital Marketing PGDM Project Management others Data Science CXO Technology MBA Management MCA Public Policy Product Management Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Others Data Analytics healthcare Cybersecurity Healthcare Data Science Operations Management Finance Leadership Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making Strategic Leadership and Transformation Global Business Acumen Comprehensive Business Expertise Duration: 2 Years University of Western Australia UWA Global MBA Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details "The AIFF received an e-mail furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez. The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the e-mail applications were not genuine," AIFF stated in a media release. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo One of its officials, on conditions of anonymity, had stated on Friday that the application of Xavi could not be processed as the AIFF did not have resources to hire his services. The IM Vijayan-headed Technical Committee, it is learnt, has also kept Englishman Stephen Constantine , who has previously coached India, and Slovakia's Stefan Tarkovic in the short-list. Live Events Constantine has coached the Indian team in two phases earlier, while Tarkovic is the most decorated among the shortlisted candidates having managed Slovakia during the 2020 Euro Championship, where his team beat a fancied Poland which had Bayern Munich legend Robert Lewandowski in its ranks. "Following comprehensive discussions and a rigorous selection process, 10 candidates were selected for the committee to review, following which, the TC shortlisted three," the release also stated. "Given the immediate needs of the national team, it is advisable to recommend three coaches from the short-listed pool for final consideration," former India skipper Vijayan was quoted as saying in the release. "Other prominent applicants, many of whom are highly qualified international coaches, will be taken into account for long-term strategic roles in the future," he added. National Team Director Subrata Paul, also a former India skipper, spoke about preference being given to those with some understanding of Indian football . "It is a very important moment for Indian football, and we are committed to appointing a coach who not only brings technical expertise but also understands the unique style, culture, and dynamics of Indian and Asian football. "We believe such a coach will be able to connect with our players quickly and effectively," Paul stated.
