In an unprecedented move just hours before matches began, FIFA warned it would issue a yellow card to any player wearing the rainbow armband.
"We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented," the European teams' joint statement said and pledged to express their support for inclusion by other means.
The hosting of the World Cup by Qatar, a tiny and religiously conservative gas-rich sheikhdom in the Gulf, was controversial from the outset when it first won this year's bid in 2010. Captains of the teams from the seven European nations competing in the World Cup — England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands — made the announcement concerning the rainbow armbands, which are meant to signal support for diversity and inclusion.
"We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband," the statement added."However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play." The teams from England, Wales and the Netherlands were all slated to play on Monday.
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