Belgium forced to adjust away kit ‘LOVE’ message and scrap warm-up shirts

Belgium had ‘LOVE’ written on away shirtsFIFA has forced them to alter itDecision comes after OneLove armband ditched

WHAT HAPPENED? After Belgium, along with England, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland, dropped their plans to have their captain wear an armband with ‘OneLove’ written on it, the Red Devils had to go one step further by covering a message on their jerseys. They will also not be allowed to wear the colourful shirts they intended to wear during warmups, despite no such message appearing on them.

WHAT THEY SAID: “The word LOVE must disappear. It’s sad, but FIFA leaves us no choice,” Peter Bossaert, president of the Belgian Football Association (RBFA), told Nieuwsblad. “The rest of the equipment remains unchanged.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The RBFA, just like the other associations involved in the OneLove armband campaign, were willing to risk fines for their players donning the messages. However, their decision changed when FIFA threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing the message.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BELGIUM? Roberto Martinez’s team will begin their World Cup campaign with a match against Canada on Wednesday.