World Cup: Wear a pride armband, Drakeford told by Labour MP

A Labour MP says UK ministers including Mark Drakeford should wear a pride armband in the wake of a FIFA decision to sanction players if they wear the OneLove symbol.

The Welsh Labour leader is going to Wales' match against the USA.

Chris Bryant accused FIFA of giving the tournament to a "dictatorial" regime.

Meanwhile Mr Drakeford told the BBC it "simply isn't fair" for FIFA to sanction individual players for the OneLove armband.

But amid human rights concerns he defended speaking to business interests in Qatar on the trip, suggesting the discussions would allow the Welsh government to have "some influence".

The captains of Wales, England, and other European nations, had planned to wear the rainbow armband during matches to promote diversity and inclusion.

But they faced the threat of being booked for the gesture.

A joint statement from seven football associations said they could not put their players "in a position where they could face sporting sanctions".

In response, Mr Bryant tweeted: "I don't blame the players; I blame FIFA for corruptly giving the tournament to an autocratic and dictatorial regime that has reneged on its commitments."

Including the names of Mr Drakeford and the foreign secretary James Cleverly, who is also attending the tournament, Mr Bryant added: "I don't think UK ministers should be going, but if they do they should wear pride armbands."

The Welsh government's decision to travel to Qatar and attend matches has been criticised by Mr Bryant, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price.

The event itself has thrown Qatar's human rights record - including its laws against same-sex relationships, and how it treats women and migrant workers - into the spotlight.

Welsh ministers have repeatedly defended the trip. Mark Drakeford said the decision to go was "difficult" but there was an "obligation" for ministers to support a Welsh team.

The Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, is attending the match against England.

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 programme, the World at One, Mr Drakeford said: "It's one thing for a Football Association to take a hit. It's quite different if you're talking about individuals."

He said sport cannot be separated from politics: "I've always believed myself that you cannot divorce sport from the culture and the circumstances in which sport is played."

Mr Drakeford said he had meetings with business interests and "people who have investments in Wales already" while in Qatar.

"20% of all the liquefied natural gas that we rely on in the United Kingdom comes into the UK through Wales," he said.

"And last week, Qatar energy and other investors announced further significant investments in Pembrokeshire to secure energy for us for the future."

Asked if it was odd to have concerns about human rights in Qatar while he was using to as an opportunity to strike more deals with the country, he added: "Because we have engagement of that sort we are able to have some influence on the way that matters develop in the future."

A £2m digital marketing campaign is also being launched to promote the country during the world cup, which officials hope will show Wales "is modern, progressive and diverse".

Meanwhile ministers want to use the event as a chance to bolster trade links with other countries, such as the US, and to show Wales is separate to England.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said: "FIFA's decision to punish players for simply wearing One Love band is hateful and demeaning. They must immediately reverse their hurtful decision.

"The Football Association of Wales have worked hard to make the game safe and inclusive. That message of love and inclusivity must be carried into the world without fear or hate. FIFA must defend the rights of LGBT+ people no matter where the game is held."

Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd (MS) Tom Giffard backed the FAW's decision as subjecting Gareth Bale to a booking "would be unfair to the team and to him".

"The sudden change in decision here is clearly a sign of direct interference from FIFA as a result of reservations by the Qatari authorities," he said.

"This difficult decision has in fact highlighted the issue, bringing it to the forefront of World Cup coverage, perhaps even more than simply wearing the armband could have."

On Monday FIFA brought forward plans to allow captains to wear a "No Discrimination" armband.p

The statement also reminded teams that "for FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA".

The FIFA statement added: "FIFA is an inclusive organisation that wants to put football to the benefit of society by supporting good and legitimate causes, but it has to be done within the framework of the competition regulations which are known to everyone."