Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher says England will look “weak” if they agree not to wear the OneLove armband following continued pressure from FIFA.
The FA and Harry Kane had been adamant that they would wear the armband as a message of anti-discrimination and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
But on Monday morning, FA CEO Mark Bullingham said England are exploring whether there is “another way to show our values” after FIFA threatened to book any captain wearing the OneLove rainbow armband in World Cup matches.
Speaking on Sky Sports News‘ World Cup Breakfast, forrmer England defender Carragher said the decision to wear the armband should not be up for discussion at this late stage.
“Harry Kane has to wear it,” he said.
“England have made a big noise about the fact that he is going to wear this, that this is their protest to the World Cup being in Qatar, human rights and everything that goes on in the country that people have criticised.
“This is England’s way of showing that they don’t agree with everything that’s going on in the country.
“They can’t pull out now. The fact that Harry Kane may get a yellow card only strengthens the campaign. For England to pull out because of a yellow card for Kane, I think would be weak, so I think it should make them more determined.”
Later in the conversation, Carragher also offered his thoughts on Gareth Southgate’s reported team selection for this afternoon’s opener against Iran, with Harry Maguire starting in a 4-3-3.
“I think [a back four is a good idea], because of the nature of the opposition. I think it will be a game where England have a lot of possession and it will be a case of whether they can break Iran down?” he added.
“I expect them to do so, but I don’t think it will be a game they win three or four-nil. I think it will still be a tight game, made really difficult by Carlos Quieroz, who notoriously sets his teams up as hard to play against.
“I’m pleased Gareth has gone with the extra attacking player and I think, in the knockout rounds – if England get through, which I think they will – they will go back to a back three, considering the opposition they will come up against.
“I think that’s a strength of England under Gareth Southgate; they are flexible as a team and I think it helps that, when you go into big games, the opposition don’t know exactly what you going to do going into that game.
Reports also suggest Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham are likely to feature from the start, which Carragher thinks will benefit Southgate’s side.
“I’d have started both of those players,” he said. “We had a chat at Fulham after the last Premier League game we covered on Sky, where we all said what our teams would be and I felt that it would be a 4-3-3 and you’d have to go for Saka in that game because of the pace alongside Kane.
“He needs players who have got pace and can make penetrating runs in behind him. Saka is in such good form, playing in a team who are top of the table.
“I think Bellingham is one of the first names on the team sheet, even though he isn’t an England regular. I think it would be difficult for anybody to pick an England team without putting him in it.”
