Belgian Red Devils united behind One Love campaign
On Tuesday evening 20 September, the Belgian Red Devils and staff sat together on labour and human rights in Qatar and decided to join forces with the Netherlands, England, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Wales, France, Sweden and Norway for joint action on human rights through the 'One Love Campaign'.
Last night, the Begian Red Devils received another update on the changes and working points in Qatar. At the request of the team and staff, we continued the work with them on the content of the workshop in June given by Amnesty International.
During this second workshop, we focused on the current situation and the specific questions the Belgian Red Devils have already received from their entourage. Questions from friends from the LGBTQ+ community who would like to travel, but are not up for it, what can I tell them?
During this workshop, we also discussed the proposal to support the One Love campaign during all upcoming games in 2022. This One Love campaign uses the power of football to promote inclusion and send a message against all forms of discrimination and injustice as the eyes of the world turn towards our global game.
This message is symbolised by the respective captains of the men's national teams wearing the signature One Love armband.
The commitment to the campaign begins with this month's UEFA Nations League matches against Wales and the Netherlands.
The eight qualified nations will also wear the armband - which features a heart with colours representative of all backgrounds - during this winter's FIFA World Cup.
"By ten countries wearing the same captain's armband, we are sending a strong signal of solidarity. We can only hope that in the coming weeks more countries will follow our example."
Eden Hazard, captain of the Belgian Red Devils
This support for the One Love campaign is part of RBFA’s wider commitment to using the World Cup as a platform for change, fully recognising the progress that has been made in Qatar since the tournament was awarded.