The captain of Holland, Georginio Wijnaldum, said he will wear a captain’s armband with a rainbow and leave the court if he receives racial insults during the Euro 2020 round of 16 clash with the Czech Republic in Budapest on Sunday.
Hungary’s national team is under investigation by UEFA for “possible discriminatory incidents” during their matches against France and Portugal in Budapest.
Before the match against France, Hungarian fans marched towards the Puskás Arena with a banner asking players to stop kneeling to protest racism, while images on social media during their confrontation with Portugal showed banners with “Anti-LMBTQ” on them: – the Hungarian abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.
“It is not just against Hungary,” Wijnaldum said. “The bracelet means a lot because we defend diversity: one love means that everyone is part of it and everyone should be free to be who they are.
“In our opinion [el derecho a ser uno mismo] has been invaded. As players, we have a podium to do everything we can to help. “
The captain of Germany, Manuel Neuer, was the subject of a UEFA investigation for wearing a rainbow bracelet in support of Gay Pride Month, but did not face any action as it was deemed to be “promoting a good cause”.
The discussion about celebrating Gay Pride at the Euro has intensified in recent days after UEFA rejected the city of Munich’s request to light up the Allianz stadium in rainbow colors for Hungary’s visit on Wednesday.
UEFA said the request was denied as “political” after a law was recently passed in Hungary that bans homosexuals from appearing in educational materials in schools or television programs for those under 18 years of age.
“UEFA should be there to protect the players and make the decision,” Wijnaldum said. “It should not be left to the players.
“Players are often punished for protecting themselves, so UEFA must take a leading role in this. I have said that I really don’t know how I will react in such a situation.
“At first I thought I would get off the court, but maybe not now, because maybe the opponent will think: ‘Let [entre la multitud] hurl racist insults and they’ll walk off the pitch. ‘ It could be the case that he leaves the field of play, but first I will talk to the players about it. “