No disciplinary action for Germany captain Manuel Neuer over rainbow armband
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper has donned the armband for matches against France and Portugal to show his support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Germany captain Manuel Neuer will not face any disciplinary action after wearing a rainbow armband during Euro 2020 games, UEFA has announced.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper has donned the armband for matches against France and Portugal to show his support for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, prompting the European governing body to investigate whether it could be viewed as a political statement.
But UEFA has concluded there is no case to answer, given the 35-year-old was “promoting a good cause”.
A UEFA spokesperson said: “UEFA looked into the armband worn by the player in question and, considering that it was promoting a good cause, i.e. diversity, the team will not face disciplinary proceedings.”
The German Football Association said it had received a letter from UEFA confirming the matter should be considered closed.
The DFB posted on Twitter on Sunday evening: “UEFA have today shared with the DFB that they have stopped the review of the rainbow captain’s armband worn by @Manuel_Neuer.
“In a letter, the armband has been assessed as a team symbol for diversity and thus for a ‘good cause’.”