France captain Hugo Lloris will refrain from wearing a “One Love” armband. The Tottenham star wants to respect the culture in Qatar. The goalkeeper announced this in an interview with the AFP news agency. “When we welcome foreign visitors to France, we often want them to respect our rules and our culture. I will do the same when I go to Qatar,” Lloris explained his decision.
The President of the French Football Association, Noel Le Graet, had previously spoken out against the initiative. Qatar is known to be heavily criticized. The desert state is accused of violating human rights, exploiting foreign workers and oppressing minorities and women’s rights. The World Cup ambassador recently caused a scandal in an interview with ZDF in the documentary “Geheimsache Qatar”. This referred to homosexuality as “mental damage”. The goalkeeper does not share these views. However, Lloris said: “I may or may not agree with their ideas, but I have to show respect for them.”
The initiative with the “One Love” armband was launched by the European Football Association. Team captains were encouraged to wear rainbow-colored armbands at games. For example, German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will also wear the “One Love” armband.
