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King Kylian v Prince Harry: how French media sees the World Cup quarter-final | World Cup 2022

For a country that sent its king and queen to the guillotine France has an enduring and surprising fascination for the monarchy. So it is no surprise that Saturday’s quarter-final between England and France is being seen as a royal duel between King Kylian and Prince Harry.

After Sunday’s matches set the scene for a battle between the two countries – historic rivals on and off the pitch despite the Entente Cordiale – Eurosport carried a picture of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé and declared: “The quarter-final on Saturday will have an unusual flavour: for the first time in history the French team and the English team will cross swords in a direct elimination match”.

France Info headlined with France meeting its “best enemy” and “Prince Harry” referring to Kane making the “French kingdom tremble”.

No reference to the Anglo-French rivalry is complete without a reference to “perfidious Albion” and France Info did not disappoint. “Between France and England, [football] history dates back more than a century to the first match on 1 November 1906 [which England won 15-0],” it said.

“Since then, Perfidious Albion have won 23 of the 40 official duels, with 11 victories for the French and six draws. But 16 of these successes were achieved before the war … In the 21st century, Les Bleus have won four of the six encounters, with one defeat and one draw. And while this match has become a European classic, it will be the first time the two nations have faced each other in an international tournament’s decisive match.”

L’Équipe carried a photo of Mbappé with the headline: “God Save Notre [Our] King”. The French crown should have been shared with Olivier Giroud, who became France’s leading goalscorer after Sunday’s match against Poland when he recorded his 52nd and surpassed the 13-year-old record set by Thierry Henry.

The regional newspaper Sud-Ouest asked if Les Bleus were “prêts à manger du lion”, ready to eat the Lions, while Le Figaro said facing England could be France’s first serious challenge. “For those who thought that the French team’s journey so far was too easy, it is possible that they will change their minds next Saturday, on the occasion of a quarter-final between Les Bleus and England, which is as explosive as it is attractive .

“The two teams have not faced each other since 13 June 2017, when Didier Deschamps’ men got the better of the Three Lions in a friendly match at the Stade de France. But in five years, a lot of water has flowed under the bridges of the Seine and the Thames. Since the start of the competition, both teams have impressed … this means that both Les Bleus and the Three Lions will have plenty of confidence going into the quarter-final.”

Many French commentators relayed remarks from across the Channel indicating admiration – some saw fear – of Mbappé. The football website maxifoot.fr said he was “already causing “deep concern” in the England camp.

England’s Phil Foden told TF1 that Mbappé is “the player of the tournament until now” and his teammate Jordan Henderson told Belgian journalists he was “probably the best player in the world right now, with Messi”. French journalists relayed how Sky Sports had referred to “the Mbappé threat”.

King Mbappé, who has earned the French Football Federation a €10,000 fine from Fifa for refusing to speak to the press, broke his silence after Sunday’s victory to declare: “My sole aim is to win the World Cup … and the next match. It’s the only thing I dream about.”

In the other realm, Prince Harry has the same goal.

Harry Kane convinced World Cup goals will flow after late Euros burst | England

Harry Kane admits that he can dwell on the misses only not for long. The problem for him after the big one against the USA in England’s second group game at the World Cup was that it happened in the third minute of added time. “So you come off the pitch straight away and you know you won’t get another opportunity,” the captain says.

When Kane crashed a free header off target from Luke Shaw’s free-kick, it meant the game finished 0-0. “When you go away and dissect it, for sure I’m my own biggest critic and I know when I can do better,” he says.

“Even the first chance I had in the USA game when the guy [Walker Zimmerman] blocked it, as soon as it happened I thought I should have gone near post instead of across [goal]. When I watched it back it was probably the better option.”

It has been a curious World Cup for Kane, the two chances against the USA his only clear ones. Before Sunday night’s last-16 showdown with Senegal, he has had four attempts on goal – none of which have been on target.

His game has evolved, his passing increasingly to the fore; that ability to drop into pockets of space and play in a runner. The Tottenham centre-forward finished the group stage with three assists as England advanced with seven points. But Kane is Kane because of his goals and he knows, fairly or otherwise, he will be judged on how many he gets. The pressure is intense.

Harry Kane

“World Cups and major tournaments in general are such a unique situation,” he says. “If we were three games at Spurs, I’d had three assists and we had won two and drawn one, everyone would probably be saying: ‘Look at the form I’m in.’ Whereas when you get to a major tournament, it almost becomes the opposite. You don’t score for a couple games and there’s a real spotlight.”

Kane does not feel the burn – mainly because of his on-pitch ability to compartmentalise. It has been said before but it is worth saying again. Unusually for a goalscorer, Kane is not a confidence player. The misses do not affect him. He always backs himself to take the next opportunity.

“If I miss a chance or a couple of chances I think about it,” he says. “But I feel like my strength of mind is when I’m in the game and in the moment I am able to switch off and think about the next one that is coming my way – be ready for the next opportunity.

“When the game’s over and I’m back and watching the clips, for sure I look at where I could have done better with my chances. It is just about consistently doing the right things and being in the right places; not thinking too much about being somewhere, just letting it happen. Throughout my career that has made me really consistent.”

Kane’s mindset has been shaped by his previous tournament experiences and it is impossible not to make the comparison with the European Championship of last year. Then, as now, Kane went through the group phase without scoring, although there is a difference. Whereas he laboured sorely in those ties, his all-round play has been good in Qatar.

Harry Kane passes the ball in England’s 3-0 win against Wales — Harry Kane’s linkup play has impressed in Qatar as he has picked up three assists. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA

Kane cut loose in the knockout rounds at the Euros, scoring four times as England finished as the runners-up – and as he felt he would. Before the last-16 game against Germany, Kane had sat down with a group of newspaper writers and calmly explained how his previous toils meant nothing. It was all about the next chance and he would take it, which he did – igniting his tournament with the second goal in the 2-0 win.

“At the 2018 World Cup, I scored a lot of goals in the group stage,” he says, reflecting on the six that would be enough for him to win the Golden Boot. “Then I felt not just my goals but my performances maybe ran out of steam at the back end of the tournament. So at the Euros, it was something I was really conscious of – trying to taper that so I was physically in a better place and hopefully score goals later in the tournament. This is similar.

“Don’t get me wrong. I would have loved to have scored three or four goals by now, any striker would. But I also feel I am in a good place. In the knockout games, it is where being more clinical and ruthless in taking the one chance you get becomes more important. At the Euros, it worked well for me and if I can do similar here, it will put the team in a good place.”

Kane goes back to the start of his England journey – to Euro 2016, his first tournament, when he was put on corner-taking duty and did not score in his four appearances, culminating in the last-16 disaster against Iceland.

“I learned a lot from Euro 2016 because that was a thing I had to deal with,” he says. “I felt a real difference from where I was at club level to being at major tournament level. I feel like I’ve learned from every tournament that has come along.”

All of what Kane has lived now goes into the Senegal game. He has endured fitness scares, with the Spurs manager, Antonio Conte, saying just before the Premier League season paused that Kane was exhausted. Then came the knock to the top of his foot in England’s opening group tie against Iran. Kane says “the foot feels good, it’s got better each game” and, also, that “this is the best physically I’ll ever be in terms of a major tournament.” (He always says that.)

While passing the time at the team hotel, Kane is not gorging on the other matches. “We have them on all the time and I’ll flick in and out of them,” he says. “I wouldn’t say I’m religiously watching them. The World Cup takes a lot out of you and maybe saving a bit of energy by not watching the games is a good idea.”

Kane has eyes only for the next opportunity. He is ready.

Southgate and Kane press home message on England high standards | World Cup 2022

Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane have used a team meeting to urge England’s players not to let their standards slip before Sunday’s last-16 tie against Senegal.

John Stones revealed that good behaviour was top of the agenda when Kane and Southgate spoke to the squad on Friday morning. The head coach and captain were joined by other members of the leadership group in delivering the message, with the focus on ensuring that nothing is left to chance as England step up their push for World Cup glory.

“We spoke briefly as a team [about] not letting any standards drop,” Stones said. “Whether it might be putting your kit the right way for the kit men, putting out socks the right way for the kit men – we get on each other for things like that because we have created those standards.”

England will be favourites against Senegal but they will not be complacent after seeing Belgium, Germany and Denmark crash out during the group stage. “Those little things keep you on the right path,” Stones said. “We spoke about the big nations that have gone. That can’t be ourselves and that goes with all the little things that we have been doing. All the good traits we have as a team or players, we can’t let those slide.”

Stones was asked to elaborate on what keeping standards high entails. “I really think it’s the small things,” the defender said. “For your teammates, not being late to meetings. I mentioned the kit. If you start getting sloppy with the little things, the bigger things start to get sloppy very easy. I think it was just a quiet reminder from everyone that we need to keep our standards. We’re here together and we should respect each other, and we are all fighting for the same thing.

“Obviously those are small things but they matter to us, and that transfers on to the training pitch, where if we’ve been sloppy off it we might be sloppy on it. We’ve got to train well, we’ve got to fight for each other, we’ve got to do the small details well. The one or two percent we can improve on as players, we’re consciously thinking about leading into matches. So when we get there, we know we’ve ticked every box.”

Southgate happy England’s support attackers taking pressure off Harry Kane | World Cup 2022

Gareth Southgate has talked up the impact of England’s support attackers at the World Cup and how they have relieved the goalscoring burden on Harry Kane.

Southgate has seen his captain and lead striker draw blanks in the team’s three group games, just as he did at Euro 2020. Back then Kane found his range in the knockout rounds, scoring four times as England finished as runners-up.

The key difference is that Kane has contributed to the collective effort here, having laboured in the group stage at the European Championship.

The World Cup statistics show he has yet to register a shot on target from four attempts and he missed two good chances in the 0-0 draw against the USA in England’s second match.

But Kane set up two goals in the 6-2 win against Iran and one more in the 3-0 victory against Wales which carried England into their last‑16 tie against Senegal on Sunday. He is chasing Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 England goals – Kane is stuck on 51 – but Southgate is delighted at how his other players have stepped up.

Marcus Rashford is in Golden Boot contention with three goals and Bukayo Saka has two. Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have one apiece.

“It was the same in the Euros with Harry,” Southgate said, with regard to the lack of group-phase goals. “He has three assists now, three important assists from moments of real quality. We’ve been saying for a couple of years now we need to share the goals around and we’re starting to do that.”

Southgate will pore over videos of Senegal but says he already has a good knowledge of them. The African team, without the injured Sadio Mané, will miss Idrissa Gueye because of a suspension for two yellow cards.

“They are a team I have seen enough of,” Southgate said. “I saw them play Iran in September [a 1-1 draw] and, even without Sadio, they have got good players, they are well organised. It will be similar to the games we’ve had in our group, the USA one for example. A lot of Senegal’s players play in Europe and their style is pretty controlled. We will watch a load of tapes of them because that is how we get our kicks.”

Meanwhile, Ben White has left England’s camp and returned home for personal reasons, the Football Association has confirmed. The 25-year-old defender was included in Southgate’s squad following an impressive start to the season with Arsenal. He did not feature in England’s first two Group B matches and missed the win against Wales on Tuesday through illness.

“Ben White has left England’s training base in Al Wakrah and returned home for personal reasons,” read an FA statement. “The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament. We ask that the player’s privacy is respected at this moment in time.”

‘No gamble at all’: Southgate insists he did not risk Kane’s fitness against USA | England

Gareth Southgate has admitted that Harry Kane felt some discomfort in his right foot during England’s 0-0 draw against the USA, although the head coach has stressed he did not gamble on his captain’s fitness by starting him.

Kane has a long history of ankle problems and he faced an anxious wait after being caught by a bad foul by Morteza Pouraliganji during England’s 6-2 win over Iran last Monday. The striker was given the all clear after going for a scan and took part in full training before starting on Friday night.

However, the 29-year-old forward was unable to make an impact during a tepid stalemate at the Al Bayt Stadium. Kane missed two good chances and Southgate acknowledged that the Tottenham forward experienced some pain when he struck the ball, which was perhaps evident when he failed to take an early opportunity from close range.

“No gamble at all,” Southgate said when asked if it was a risk to play Kane. “He has had a whack to his foot, so there is a tiny bit of discomfort when he is striking the ball but we are not talking about anything that was a risk in any way, shape or form.”

The draw with the USA means Southgate is unlikely to rest Kane against Wales on Tuesday. England will qualify for the last 16 as long as they avoid a heavy defeat by Wales, but they are yet to seal top spot in Group B. Kane will also be desperate to play after failing to score in his first two matches in Qatar.

In an ideal world Southgate would have been able to rest several players against Wales. Competition for Kane’s place comes from Callum Wilson and Marcus Rashford, who played on the right after coming off the bench for Bukayo Saka against the USA, while England need to build the match fitness of Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker. Phillips and Walker have recently returned from injury, but it would be a risk to start them against Wales.

Having named the same starting 11 against Iran and the USA, Southgate will look to freshen his side up in their final group game. “We have got to see where the energy levels are and the best way to approach the game,” Southgate said. “We are in a strong position but we want to win the group. We have still got a bit to do to make sure we qualify.”

Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Rashford will be in contention to start in attack and Jordan Henderson could come into midfield. Henderson, who did an individual indoor session at training on Saturday, impressed after replacing Jude Bellingham, who struggled against the USA.

“We cannot roll Jude for 90 minutes every game,” Southgate said. “We have got to look after him and Hendo has been training really well. Tactically, it was a complicated game in midfield. Jordan’s organisation and intelligence and experience was something we felt that could help us.”

England have been boosted by James Maddison returning to training. The Leicester midfielder has been out with a knee injury and should be on the bench against Wales.

“James hasn’t really trained with the group, so I don’t think he’s likely to be in a position to start but he is more positive and hopefully he will be an option for us,” Southgate said. “We have got to consider whether refreshing certain positions is going to be as important. We have got a good squad and these games are taking a lot out of people.”

Southgate savours strength in depth after Kane makes England sweat | England

When Harry Kane discovered the full extent of a hamstring tear in January 2020 – extremely serious, surgery needed, months out of action – the reaction of José Mourinho, his Tottenham manager at the time, was pithy and colourful. It would be shown in the Amazon documentary on the club’s season. “Woe is us. We will surely not recover from this setback.” Or words to that effect.

Mourinho felt that Kane carried Spurs and the same has been suggested by Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager. Everybody remembers “the Harry Kane team” discourse.

There is no doubt that Kane is fundamental to Gareth Southgate’s England. To lose him would be the manager’s biggest nightmare and it was easy to feel the fretting back home when the news emerged on Tuesday night that Kane was set for a scan on his right foot. He had been caught by a bad tackle in England’s opening World Cup match against Iran on Monday.

The good news is that the captain is fine. It was merely precautionary. The cameras were waiting for him on Thursday lunchtime at England’s training base in Al Wakrah and it was reassuring to see him play his part in the session.

During a one-touch passing drill early on – so intense inside a small space – he stretched to reach a seemingly impossible ball, diverting it with his right boot to a teammate in an almost unnatural motion.

If we are honest, and Southgate certainly was, nobody wants to test the theories about Kane’s worth, to see how England might fare without him. Not now at the very biggest tournament, with the second group game against the USA looming large on Friday night.

Equally Southgate was sure that if the worst did come to the worst at any point over the coming weeks, he would be able to cope. With the matches at these finals elongated by extraordinary amounts of stoppage-time – the USA’s draw against Wales on Monday night finished on Tuesday – there is a greater emphasis on strength in depth. It is here, when Southgate considers his attacking options, that he is emboldened.

Harry Kane watches on with a grin as John Stones and Harry Maguire battle it out in training. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA

“Harry is a special player,” Southgate said. “Everybody will focus on his goals but the quality of his buildup play against Iran, [with the assists] for Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford, was exceptional.” Could England survive without Kane? “I guess at the highest level, that has yet to be proved. What we’ve tried to do from the very start was not put all the onus on the captain, whether that’s media duties or whatever else – spread the load, give people more responsibility. We have now got more depth.

“I see more of our attacking players in a better moment than they were in the Euros perhaps. I know people talked a lot about the depth we had then, but I didn’t see for some of the squad then that they were in a really good moment when you were looking to make changes. There were some but not all.”

Quick Guide

England v USA likely lineups

Show

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice; Saka, Mount, Sterling; Kane
USA (4-3-3): Turner; Dest, Zimmerman, Ream, Robinson; Adams, McKennie, Musah; Reyna, Weah, Pulisic

On the face of it, Southgate’s attacking options have not changed much from Euro 2020. But he believes that they have. This time, he has James Maddison rather than Jadon Sancho, and Callum Wilson rather than Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The other attackers are the same.

Maddison and Wilson were selected on the back of fine club form, although the former has been hampered by a knee injury. He did not train again on Thursday. But Wilson was able to make a difference when he came on against Iran, setting up a goal for another substitute, Jack Grealish, with an unselfish assist.

Bukayo Saka celebrates one of his two goals against Iran — Gareth Southgate is not short of in-form forwards. Photograph: Javier García/Shutterstock

Southgate takes heart from how Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden are older and wiser from their experiences at the Euros. Then there is Rashford, who is plainly in far better form. How he seized his moment when he entered against Iran, scoring within seconds. His name had not even been announced over the PA system.

It all feeds into the collective belief before facing the USA, who England have never beaten at a World Cup. There was the 1-1 against them in 2010, scarred by Rob Green’s goalkeeping error, and before that the notorious 1-0 defeat in 1950 – considered to be among England’s greatest humiliations.

Southgate believes the US will provide a tougher test than Iran, mainly because they have better players who will press harder and from cuter angles. The intensity will be higher and England will find it more difficult to build the play and break them down. The US are also likely to be a bigger threat on the counterattack.

What Southgate was perfectly clear about was that there would be no over-confidence from his team. “Have we ever beaten the States at a major tournament?” he asked. “No. We are good at talking highly of ourselves as a nation on the basis of very little evidence. We’ve got to perform on the pitch.”

Southgate has called for a psychological reset, for his players to park the emotions from the Iran game, and yet the requirement is for more of the same – without the small number of defensive errors. Southgate said that Harry Maguire had been withdrawn against Iran because he was dehydrated – he is now OK – and it would be a surprise if the manager changed his starting XI.

“It’s always the dilemma,” Southgate said. “On the one hand, the team have earned the right to go again and there’s something important about a meritocracy where if I’ve played well, I’ve earned the right to go again. Then there is: ‘Are they all ready to go again and is that the right decision?’ There are other guys who are raring to go.”

Whichever way he slices it, Southgate believes he has the answers.

England confident Harry Kane will be fit to face USA after World Cup injury scare | Harry Kane

England are optimistic that Harry Kane will be available for Friday night’s World Cup tie against the United States after he took part in training on Wednesday. The captain sparked alarm when he underwent a scan on his right ankle after hurting it during Monday’s 6-2 win over Iran.

Kane was caught by a bad tackle from Morteza Pouraliganji in the 48th minute, although he did play on until the 75th minute. There is now a confidence within the camp that, despite the precautionary scan, Kane will be able to play.

The England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said: “I think Harry is good, probably just a little bit sore. I’m sure he is fine. He was out on the grass with us today, which is good. He is our captain.”

The condition of Kane’s ankles has been a part of his story, particularly between 2016-19 when he endured five lay-offs with ligament damage – the first three on the right foot, the second two on the left.

Since April 2019 he sustained much less serious problems with his ankles on two occasions, when sprains briefly ruled him out in February 2021 and then in April of the same year. Kane has credited the work he has done more recently with a private physiotherapist in making him more resilient.

England concern as Harry Kane requires ankle scan before USA game | World Cup 2022

England face an anxious wait on Harry Kane’s fitness after deciding that the striker needs a scan on his ankle ahead of their game against the USA on Friday.

Kane received treatment on his right ankle after being caught by a heavy tackle from Morteza Pouraliganji in the 48th minute of England’s 6-2 victory against Iran on Monday. The 29-year-old forward, who has a long history of ankle issues, managed to last until the 75th minute before being replaced by Callum Wilson and Gareth Southgate said his captain appeared to be fine after the game.

However Kane, who is crucial to England’s hopes of winning the World Cup, was seen walking with a slight limp and wearing strapping on his right ankle after the game. Southgate will now be hoping further tests indicate the Tottenham forward, who created two goals against Iran, sustained no serious damage.

England will be desperate to have Kane available when they face the USA in their second game in Group B. Encouragingly he was able to take part in a recovery session on Tuesday. But the prospect of losing his main striker for any period of time is the nightmare scenario for Southgate. The worry is that Kane has had several long-term absences with ankle injuries in the past.

It is hoped that England ordered the scan as a precautionary measure. The fact that Kane did not immediately go off against Iran is seen as a positive sign. He also revealed in September that he has been working with a new physio to lessen his chances of getting injured. Kane has largely managed to steer clear of serious injury since tearing a hamstring in January 2020.

If Kane is absent against the USA then Wilson will compete with Marcus Rashford for a starting spot up front. Rashford came off the bench to score against Iran but played in a wide role.

Harry Maguire is expected to be available against the USA, but James Maddison’s knee problem kept him out of training again on Tuesday. Maguire was substituted against Iran after complaining of feeling unwell during the second half. But the defender took part in the recovery session on Tuesday for the starting 11 against Iran.

The rest of the squad trained outside at the team’s training complex. But Maddison, who was not available against Iran, was absent once again. The Leicester midfielder has been nursing a knee problem and is a doubt to be involved on Friday.

England had their two reserve goalkeepers and 13 outfield players training outside. Wilson, who came off the bench against Iran, took part in the indoor session. However there are no injury concerns over the Newcastle striker.

‘We’re disappointed’: Kane unhappy that Fifa banned ‘OneLove’ armband | World Cup 2022

Harry Kane said he was disappointed after the threat of sporting sanctions from Fifa stopped the striker from wearing the “OneLove” rainbow armband during England’s 6-2 win against Iran.

Fears that captains could receive an instant booking for wearing the armband prompted the move, and LGBTQ+ groups reacted with fury at authorities preventing teams from promoting diversity during an increasingly farcical World Cup.

Seven European nations scrapped plans to continue with the “OneLove” campaign after hours of uncertainty and Kane was instead ordered to wear Fifa’s “anti-discrimination” armband when Gareth Southgate’s side opened their campaign in Qatar by thrashing Iran.

“We’re disappointed,” Kane said. “I said yesterday we wanted to wear it. That decision was taken out of my hands today. I turned up to the stadium with the armband that I wore and I was told I had to wear that [the official Fifa one]. It’s out of our control as players. I’m sure the FA and Fifa will continue those discussions but most importantly today we focused on the game and got a great result.”

Kane said England, who took the knee before facing Iran, will continue to do their best to speak out against injustice. “You’ve seen over the last five years we’ve made a stand as a squad and we’ll continue to do that as much as we can. We took the knee today as well but sometimes these decisions aren’t up to us and that’s the bottom line.”

Southgate refused to condemn Fifa’s behaviour and said teams should be allowed to focus on their performances. “The armband, it’s not something myself or the players have been involved in over the last 24 hours,” England’s head coach said.

“These discussions have been ongoing between several European nations and Fifa.

“I actually do understand Fifa’s situation, in that you can set a precedent and then it’s very difficult where you draw the line. So I think in an ideal world that would have been a much clearer situation earlier but it’s not something that’s been a distraction.

“We said yesterday we need to focus on the football. People know this group of players are taking the knee because it’s something we feel we can make a difference with. There are some things I’m not sure we are going to be able to make a difference with and therefore we should channel our energies in the right direction.

“I think every coach now deserves the right to be able to focus on the football. We understand there are issues that people want us to speak about. We’ve done that for the last 12 months. But this is a World Cup. We won’t refuse to answer any questions. But the predominant part of our energy has to be on preparing the team. There are other people at our federation who have to deal with those issues because it’s not the responsibility of the players. They didn’t decide where we are.”, while Iranian fans booed it in response to the brutal actions of their country’s regime. Carlos Queiroz told protesting fans to stay away from games.

“The fans who do not want to support the team should stay at home,” Iran’s manager said. “We don’t need the fans who don’t support the team. Stay at home. The Iranians are welcome but those that come to disturb the team with issues not just about football are not welcome.”

England’s Harry Kane may abandon ‘OneLove’ armband over booking fear | World Cup 2022

England’s players will take the knee before the start of their game against Iran on Monday but Harry Kane must decide whether to support LGBTQ+ rights by wearing the “OneLove” rainbow captain’s armband amid fears that the gesture could earn an instant booking.

In the latest farcical development to grip the World Cup, a potential row is brewing after it was suggested that referees could be left with no option but to caution captains who wear the “OneLove” armband in Qatar. Fifa has asked that all captains wear a different armband on each match day, promoting social messages such as “Football unites the world”, “Share the meal” and “Bring the moves”. It could even send an official into dressing rooms before matches to remove any “OneLove” armbands.

England and Wales had planned to defy Fifa’s request by wearing the rainbow armband. The Football Association wrote to the game’s governing body about its plans in September but received no response. The FA had indicated it would be prepared to receive a fine and is seeking clarification over whether Kane could start the game on a booking if the England captain dons the armband against Iran. As there is no precedent there is no clarity over what the punishment would be for breaching Fifa’s equipment regulations. Fifa has been approached for comment.

Kane stressed his desire to wear the armband before England face Iran in their opening game in Group B. “We’ve made it clear as a team and a staff and organisation that we want to wear the armband,” the striker said. “I know the FA are talking to Fifa at the moment and I’m sure by game time tomorrow they will have their decision. I think we’ve made it clear that we want to wear it.”

Gareth Southgate echoed those comments. “I know there are conversations going on,” England’s head coach said. “I think a number of European countries have spoken. We’ve made our position clear. Hopefully everything will be resolved before the game.”

The president of the German football federation (DFB), Bernd Neuendorf, has said Germany are prepared to be fined if Manuel Neuer wears the rainbow armband against Japan on Wednesday. However the DFB is concerned that Neuer could be booked. Two cautions in different matches lead to a suspension from the next game, although single yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-finals.

Virgil van Dijk is worried about the consequences of wearing the armband when the Netherlands face Senegal on Monday. “I will wear the one love armband,” the Netherlands captain said. “Nothing changed from our point of view. If I will get a yellow card for wearing it then we would have to discuss it because I don’t like to play while being on a yellow.”

Van Dijk is expected to wear two armbands, also taking the field with the official Fifa one. England’s players will demonstrate their opposition to discrimination by taking the knee before kick-off. The squad discussed the issue before training on Sunday. “We feel we should,” Southgate said. “We think it’s a strong statement that will go around the world, especially for young people, that inclusivity is important.”

Category: Harry Kane

King Kylian v Prince Harry: how French media sees the World Cup quarter-final | World Cup 2022

Qatar: beyond the football

Harry Kane convinced World Cup goals will flow after late Euros burst | England

Qatar: beyond the football

Southgate and Kane press home message on England high standards | World Cup 2022

Qatar: beyond the football

Southgate happy England’s support attackers taking pressure off Harry Kane | World Cup 2022

Qatar: beyond the football

‘No gamble at all’: Southgate insists he did not risk Kane’s fitness against USA | England

Qatar: beyond the football

Southgate savours strength in depth after Kane makes England sweat | England

Qatar: beyond the football

England v USA likely lineups

England confident Harry Kane will be fit to face USA after World Cup injury scare | Harry Kane

Qatar: beyond the football

England concern as Harry Kane requires ankle scan before USA game | World Cup 2022

‘We’re disappointed’: Kane unhappy that Fifa banned ‘OneLove’ armband | World Cup 2022

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England’s Harry Kane may abandon ‘OneLove’ armband over booking fear | World Cup 2022

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