Harry Kane now won't wear the 'One Love' armband at the World Cup 2022, it's been confirmed.
The star striker and England captain had initially said he'd wear the multi-coloured armband - which is intended to promote inclusivity, campaign against discrimination, and show support to the LGBTQ+ community - at all matches at the tournament in Qatar.
But a statement issued by the Football Associations of several countries intending to participate has announced this morning that it will no longer be the case.
The FA previously said it thinks it's “really important to show our values” during the tournament, The Manc reports.
England captain Harry Kane will no longer wear the ‘One Love’ armband in Qatar / Credit: The FA
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham had told Sky News last week that the association was braced to be punished for Kane's wearing of the armband and will “pay the fine” should it be handed to them - given that it had no response from FIFA prior to this.
FIFA is known for usually prohibiting the addition of unsanctioned slogans on player’s kits during tournaments, and had even recently urged teams at not to indulge in giving morality lessons at the first World Cup in the Middle East.
Now, several countries have backed-down from their original decision to wear the multi-coloured captain's armband over the imposing of sporting sanctions.
The armband is intended to promote inclusivity / Credit: England
A joint statement issued by the Football Associations England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland this morning reads: "FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play.
"As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings.
"So we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games."
As well as England, each of the other teams explained in the statement that they were prepared to "pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations", but that they "cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play".
"We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision, which we believe is unprecedented," the statement continued.
"We wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response."
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Kevin Sinfield will return to Leeds for his final 7 in 7 challenge in honour of Rob Burrow
Leeds legend Kevin Sinfield is set to take on his seventh and final 7 in 7 challenge this month.
The former Leeds Rhinos captain will begin 7 in 7: The Grand Finale next Sunday 27 September.
Wondering what on earth that is? Allow us to fill you in.
Sinfield will be running an ultra-marathon every day for seven days, and this time it's across the north of England including a special stop off right here in Leeds.
Not only that, but the challenge will bring Sinfield back to some of the places that have played a huge part in his rugby league career.
The route will visit all 12 English Betfred Super League grounds, starting at Hull KR before travelling through Yorkshire and eventually crossing the Pennines towards Manchester where Sinfield is from.
Here in Leeds, we can expect Sinfield to arrive at Headingley Stadium on Wednesday 30 September at 11:14am, before leaving towards Pudsey Civic Hall at 11:40am.
The challenge will then finish at Old Trafford on Saturday 3 October, where Sinfield will arrive ahead of the Super League Grand Final.
Since the first annual challenge back in 2020, Kevin Sinfield and his team have raised over £11 million for the MND community with six charities set to benefit once again from this years fundraising.
It's an amazing challenge for an amazing cause, and you can donate and find out more about the challenge here.
Good luck Kevin and the team, we know you'll smash it.
Channel 4 needs people from Yorkshire who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wondered how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now's your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: "Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?"
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city - used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare - with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden - which is part of ITV Studios - for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on people from Yorkshire with the 'courage and ingenuity' to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let's prove what we're made of.
Applications close on Sunday 4 October 2026 at midnight, and you must be 18 or above, with a valid UK or ROI passport, to enter.