Cristiano Ronaldo did not 'defy UEFA order on LGBTQ armbands' at Euro 2020

"At Euro 2020, UEFA ordered all team captains to wear 'OneLove' armbands. The band was a symbol of LGBTQ," read the traditional Chinese post shared on Facebook on June 18. "But Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was the only European captain who did not wear LGBTQ armband. Respect." 

The post then repeated the false claim in English. 

It included a photo of the German national team's goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, wearing a captain's armband in the colours of the LGBTQ flag and Ronaldo wearing an armband with the word "Respect".  

The same claim has also circulated in India and Pakistan. 

AFP debunked the claim after it circulated in Spanish-language posts.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on July 24, 2024.

The "OneLove" armband initiative mentioned in the false claim was launched in 2020 by the Dutch Football Association to promote diversity, inclusion and human rights in football. It also aimed to combat discrimination and support equality for all, using armbands with a heart and rainbow colours of the LGBTQ flag  (archived links here and here).

Manuel Neuer, Gini Wijnaldum and Harry Kane -- skippers for the German, Dutch and English teams respectively -- also wore rainbow-coloured armbands during the championship, as shown below:

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Gini Wijnaldum (left), Harry Kane (middle) and Manuel Neuer (right) wearing armbands with colours of the rainbow flag

However, wearing the armband was not mandatory during the tournament. 

A spokesperson for UEFA previously explained to AFP in June 2024 that there was "no obligation" for a captain to wear a particular armband.

"Captains can wear a RESPECT armband or request to wear a different one, for one or more matches," said the spokesperson. "Therefore, it would be entirely possible to wear a rainbow armband if a captain so wishes, but there is no obligation to do so."

The European football body's kit regulations stated it "may provide captain's armbands for certain competitive matches in support of UEFA's campaigns". But there was no requirement for team captains to wear a specific armband (archived link).

Awareness campaign

Ronaldo was not the only player during Euro 2020 who was pictured wearing a "Respect" armband rather than one with the rainbow flag.

This slogan was part of a campaign launched by UEFA during Euro 2008 to promote respect, tolerance and fair play in football. The initiative fought against racism, discrimination and social responsibility (archived links here and here). 

Over the past few years, its scope has been broadened to include other issues such as discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.

Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, Denmark's Simon Kjaer, Austria's David Alaba, Belgium's Eden Hazard, Croatia’s Luka Modric and Poland's Robert Lewandowski wore armbands similar to Ronaldo's.

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Giorgio Chiellini (top left), Simon Kjaer (top center), David Alaba (top right), Eden Hazard (bottom left), Luka Modric (bottom center) and Robert Lew (bottom right) wearing RESPECT armbands

Similarly, during Euro 2024, several captains of different national teams continued with the campaign and wore the "Respect" armband. These included Cristiano Ronaldo, France's Kylian Mbappé, Romania's captain Nicolae Stanciu, Spain's Álvaro Morata , Germany's Ilkay Gündogan and England's Harry Kane. 

LGBTQ rights

UEFA investigated whether Neuer had breached its regulations regarding political statements or messages on the pitch by wearing the rainbow armband.

His gesture was widely seen as a statement in support of LGBTQ rights and diversity. However, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules mandate that players "must not display political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images" on their equipment and gear (archived link).

The association ultimately cleared Neuer, saying the rainbow armband symbolised diversity and was intended for a "good cause" and therefore did not violate any regulations.