Nine more football teams join Dutch anti-discrimination campaign for World Cup, Nations League

A total of ten countries will participate in the Dutch football association's "OneLove campaign," a demonstration that stands for personal connection, and is meant as a symbol against any form of discrimination. The captains of Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland will join the Netherlands in wearing the OneLove captain's armband during their international matches.

OneLove started as a campaign for Dutch football emphasizing that all football fans have at least one thing in common: the love of football, Dutch football association KNVB said. Those wearing the armband make a clear statement opposed to prejudice, the KNVB stated.

Virgil van Dijk, the captain of the Dutch men's national team, said, "It is an important message that fits football: everyone is equal on the field and that should be the case everywhere. We like to convey that with 'OneLove'. Our team already did that, and it's nice to see that other countries are now joining in."

Seven of the countries will spread the OneLove message during their Nations League matches and during the World Cup in Qatar. The captain for England will only play with the OneLove armband during the World Cup, as that team's attention will be focused on the death of Queen Elizabeth during their September matches. Norway and Sweden will use the armband during the Nations League only, as the two countries did not qualify for the World Cup.

OneLove kicked off at the start of the 2020-2021 season and highlights the power football has to connect millions of people from all walks of life.