FIFA rejects Denmark's request to train in special kits for 2022 FIFA World Cup

The Qatar tournament grows more controversial day by day

The Danish football federation (DBU) announced on Thursday that FIFA had denied Denmark's World Cup team's request to train in shirts supporting human rights.

A spokeswoman for the DBU told AFP that the world football governing body rejected the Danish team's request for permitting them to wear shirts with the slogan "Human Rights for All."

The DBU denied that it was a political message, but they said that they will abide by the FIFA ruling to avoid fines and penalties.

Regarding the treatment of foreign employees on important World Cup infrastructure projects as well as women's and LGBTQ rights, Qatar has come under fire for its human rights record.

The Danish federation had long been opposing the World Cup's hosting in Qatar and had hoped to play a leading role in the protection of human rights when the competition began on November 20.

"We have sent a request to FIFA, but the response is negative. We regret that, but we have to take it into account," DBU director Jakob Jensen told Danish agency Ritzau.

Training shirts will contain "critical messages"

The national lottery Danske Spil and the bank Arbejdernes Landsbank agreed to have their emblems changed when the federation declared that training shirts will contain "critical messages."

"For me, this is a jersey with a very simple message about universal human rights," Jensen added.

FIFA, which forbids the transmission of any political messages, asked teams last week to "focus on football" and avoid "dragging it [the game] into every ideological or political conflict";

Hummel, the Scandinavian nation's official jersey manufacturer for the competition, similarly darkened its insignia as a "protest" against the Qatari government.

In an anti-discrimination effort, captains from a number of prominent European nations, including England, France, and Germany, will wear armbands in rainbow colours with the phrase "One Love." Homosexuality is prohibited in the Gulf state.