England footballers will be taking a knee ahead of their World Cup 2022 opener against Iran tonight but it is still not certain whether their skipper Harry Kane will be able to wear the “OneLove” rainbow captain’s armband. Captains of the nine participating countries had initially decided to wear the “OneLove” armband in order to promote inclusiveness and show support for LGBTQ+ rights. However, speculations are now rife that wearing such armbands will force match officials to caution the captains and even brandish a yellow card.

The Football Association (FA) has already formulated plans to drop the move. “We have been clear that we want to wear the armband. It is important to us, but equally, we need to work through all the discussions right now and see where we end up…. Normally, in this kind of situation, there would be a fine and we have said we would be prepared to pay that because we think it's important to show our support for inclusion. If the sporting sanction threat is real then we need to look at that, step back and work out if there is another way in which we can show our values,” FA Chief executive Mark Bullingham told BBC during an interview on Monday.

ALSO READ:

FIFA World Cup 2022 ENG vs IRN LIVE: England begin campaign against Iran; Netherlands and Wales in action later tonight

England and Wales had planned to showcase the special message after FIFA asked all the leaders to wear a different armband on each match day, promoting diversity.

Coming back to the on-field events, the England football team came agonisingly close twice in recent times to clinching an international title under the leadership of Harry Kane. On both occasions, the Three Lions failed to end their international trophy drought. Kane scored six goals at the FIFA World Cup 2018 and claimed the prestigious Golden Boot award but it was certainly not enough to guide his side to the championship. Kane also became the second England footballer to end as a top scorer in a World Cup edition after Gary Lineker in 1986.

England’s dream run at the Russia World Cup came to an end in the semi-finals after Gareth Southgate’s men were defeated by Croatia 2-1.

ALSO READ: England vs Iran FIFA World Cup 2022: Three Lions may take the knee before match, but will Harry Kane wear 'One Love' armband?

Last year, England managed to reach the finals at the UEFA Euro. This time too England’s juggernaut was halted by Italy in the summit clash. Roberto Mancini’s men won the nerve-racking final encounter on penalties.

England football team, under Kane’s captaincy, is now all set to kick off their World Cup 2022 journey tonight at the Khalifa International Stadium. England find themselves in Group B at the Qatar World Cup alongside Iran, the United States of America and Wales.

Kane has so far donned the England jersey 75 times and found the back of the net on 51 occasions. The 29-year-old also has 260 goals under his belt while playing for Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur.

England won the FIFA World Cup on home soil in 1966 under the captaincy of Bobby Moore.

ALSO READ: England vs Iran preview | Team news, possible lineup, betting odds, where to watch and more

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)