TV presenter starts selling "coward" rainbow armbands after KNVB cuts OneLove campaign

Arjen Lubach has lashed out against the KNVB’s decision to cut back on its OneLove equality and acceptance campaign and announcing it on Coming Out Day. The TV presenter is selling captain’s armbands in rainbow colors with the KNVB logo and the words “Wat Laf,” which roughly translates to “how cowardly.” The proceeds will go to a foundation that promotes LGBTQIA+ equality in sports.

On Coming Out Day on Wednesday, the KNVB announced that it would no longer ask Eredivisie football clubs to actively participate in its OneLove campaign - a campaign aimed to promote acceptance and support for LGBTQIA+ players and fans and fight against racism and discrimination. Last year around Coming Out Day, there was a commotion about the Excelsior and Feyenoord captains refusing to wear the OneLove armband.

On his TV program, De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach, the presenter called it baffling that the KNVB was leaving it up to the football clubs to decide whether to participate in the campaign. “The acceptance of LGBTI people in football is declining, but the KNVB is simply stopping the OneLove band,” he said, calling the football association “a bunch of cowards.”

Voor iedereen thuis die ook het WAT-LAF statement wil uitdragen, ga naar https://t.co/DwTtf9xv1s en doe mee met onze actie, daarmee steun je de John Blankenstein Foundation en ontvang je een WATLAF aanvoerdersband. pic.twitter.com/8LD1q0SX4J

— De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach (@deavondshowvpro) October 12, 2023

Lubach presented his WatLaf-captain’s armband, now for sale on this website for 12.99 euros. The proceeds will go to the John Blakenstein Foundation, which aims to establish a safe sports climate for the LGBTQIA+ community. Lubach called on the Dutch football clubs to have their captains wear the armband.