BBC presenter Alex Scott donned the One Love armband while pitchside at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards were in the studio for the coverage of England’s opening match against Iran, while Kelly Somers and Scott were on the pitch at the Khalifa International Stadium.Scott did a short piece to camera about England’s starting line-up and Iran’s weaknesses, all while wearing the One Love armband, which was scrapped by the FA earlier today."As you can see, Alex Scott is wearing the OneLove armband,” Somers said as she handed back to Lineker.“As Gareth Southgate confirmed to me, the England players will not be wearing that. Instead they will be wearing the FIFA armband instead.”

Why is Harry Kane no longer wearing the One Love armband?

England captain Harry Kane had intended to wear the One Love armband throughout the 2022 World Cup, sending out a strong message about the importance of inclusivity in football.

But the FA and six other national football associations decided earlier today to scrap the armband.

While the associations were prepared to pay a fine for breaching FIFA’s kit regulation, the threat of each captain earning a yellow card forced them to scrap the plan at the 11th hour.

Per Sky News, a joint statement from the Football Associations of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland explained the situation.

Harry Kane of England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 21: Harry Kane of England looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play,” the statement read.

“As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.”

The teams said they were prepared to “pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations” but “cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play”.

“We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented – we wrote to FIFA in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response,” the statement added.

What has Alex Scott previously said about the 2022 World Cup?

Scott, an Arsenal and England legend, criticised FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a passionate speech before the World Cup’s opening match between Qatar and Ecuador.

She referenced Infantino’s controversial speech on inclusivity on Saturday, which included the FIFA President saying: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.”

“I totally understand their reasons, as well as a whole heap of fans from around the world, from the LGBTQ+ community, not wanting to travel here,” said Scott.

"Once again we referenced Gianni Infantino from what he said. You are not gay. You’ll never understand travelling to a country where you are fearing for your life just because of your preference of who you choose to love.

“There’s so much around this as well. To keep saying football is for everyone. That’s what you keep feeding us with. We sit here and it’s not, because people have not been able to travel to watch their teams, to support their teams, so you can’t say football is for everyone.”

Read more: Qatar 2022 World Cup: News, features, analysis and more

2022 World Cup on GiveMeSport

2022 World Cup on GiveMeSport