Sport Minister may wear OneLove armband during Oranje's next match

Sports Minister Conny Helder is considering wearing the OneLove armband during the Dutch national team’s third group match in Qatar. “I wholeheartedly support the idea behind the OneLove campaign, namely connection and inclusion. I still have to see what I’m going to wear,” she said through her spokesperson.

As Minister of Sports, Helder will support Oranje in Qatar but will also discuss human rights and working conditions on behalf of the Cabinet.

The German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, wore the OneLove band on Wednesday during the German team’s first match at the World Cup.

Helder is flying to Qatar on Monday evening and will return on Wednesday. She will attend Oranje’s match against Qatar on Tuesday.

Before the World Cup, the Netherlands and six other countries pledged to wear the OneLove armband - for inclusion and equality and against all forms of racism and discrimination - during their matches at the tournament. But the KNVB and the other countries’ football associations backed down when FIFA threatened to give all captains wearing the armband a yellow card.

“That FIFA wants to punish us on the field for this is unprecedented. This goes against the spirit of our sport, which connects millions of people. In the coming period, we will take a critical look at our relationship with FIFA together with the other countries involved,” the KNVB said earlier this week.

On Wednesday, the association announced that it and the other countries have not yet decided whether they would fight FIFA’s plan to sanction teams and their captains for wearing the OneLove armband.