FIFA World Cup 2022: Germany players cover their mouth in the opening match against Japan

Germany players have taken a unique way to protest against the FIFA sanctions by covering their mouths with their hands in the team photo of their opening World Cup match against Japan.

All the 11 players had their mouths covered with their hands in the team photo, which seems a stand against the ongoing issues between FIFA and Germany.

Germany were one of the teams who were threatened by FIFA to not take a stand against the human rights violations in Qatar. There were warnings of players getting carded to a possible suspension. Earlier, the German FA took FIFA to court over the armband ban as they were not allowed to wear the One Love armband.

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And now the players have taken a stand.

"We wanted to use our captain's armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect," stated the German team's official social media handle.

The official handle also captioned with the team photo that wrote 'Armband or No Armband, we stand by our position.'

It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us.

Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position. pic.twitter.com/tiQKuE4XV7

— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 23, 2022

There was also a bizarre check on Manuel Neuer as the German captain's armband was checked by the referees. It has to be seen how the other teams react after Germany showcased their stand on the FIFA sanctions.

The hand on the mouth clearly depicts the message of clear rejection from the German players towards the strict ruling of FIFA. The human rights violations, from ill-treatment to migrant workers to homophobic rules in Qatar have marred this tournament and tarnished the beauty of the game that brings people together and promotes inclusion and solidarity.

It has to be seen how FIFA reacts to this strong message from the German contingent.