World Cup captains campaign to wear rainbow armbands in Qatar

FIFA came under pressure Wednesday from several European soccer federations who want their captains to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during World Cup games in Qatar to campaign against discrimination.

France and Germany, the last two World Cup champions, were among eight of the 13 European soccer teams going to Qatar who joined the "One Love" campaign, which started in the Netherlands. The Dutch team plays Qatar in Group A on Nov. 29.

FIFA rules prohibit teams from bringing their own armband designs to the World Cup and insist they must use equipment provided by the governing body.

Armbands are the latest battleground for players to push political messages linked to the World Cup hosted in Qatar, where homosexual acts are illegal and the treatment of migrant workers building projects for the tournament has been a decade-long controversy.

"Wearing the armband together on behalf of our teams will send a clear message when the world is watching," England captain Harry Kane said in a statement.

The Swiss soccer federation said it wanted captain Granit Xhaka to wear an armband on which "you can see a heart with diverse colours which represent the diversity of humanity."

Harry Kane to wear rainbow armband in Qatar. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENG</a> players to meet migrant workers on arrival at World Cup. FA lobbying FIFA for update on new legislation for migrant workers in Qatar and compensation for “any injury or death during construction” of World Cup stadia. <a href="https://t.co/H0qLz7mMiu">pic.twitter.com/H0qLz7mMiu</a>

Soccer players have embraced their platform to make statements in recent years. Taking a knee on the field was routine before Premier League