KNVB scales down OneLove campaign on Coming Out Day

On Coming Out Day on Wednesday, the Dutch football association took a step back from its OneLove campaign against racism and discrimination and for LGBTQIA+ acceptance and equality. The KNVB will no longer actively urge clubs to participate in the OneLove campaign in the Eredivisie matches but will leave it up to the clubs and players themselves to decide what to do, Houssin Bezzai of the KNVB said during a symposium on Wednesday, NOS reports.

Thijs Smeenk of the John Blankenstein Foundation, which stands up for LGBTQIA+ acceptance in sports, is very disappointed in the KNVB’s decision and the “quite painful” moment the association picked to announce it. Smeenk thinks that clubs will remain unaware of problems if they are not actively urged to seek them out. He does not doubt the KNVB’s good intentions but worries that acceptance will fall into the background, he said to the broadcaster.

According to Smeenk, “a certain trend” has emerged in recent years, sparking discussions about the OneLove captain’s armband. Eredivisie captains also wore rainbow armbands before the campaign, and there was hardly any publicity about it. “I was quite positive until one or two years ago, but I think there is now a regression. There is much more aggression and resistance from society.”

Other countries have surpassed the Netherlands in the field of LGBTQIA+ acceptance. “I was at Arsenal-PSV three weeks ago and saw a rainbow flag hanging in the stadium from a gay supporter group. You also see that at other clubs in England, but also in Germany. In the Netherlands, you’ll have a big problem if you do this,” Smeenk said.

The KNVB did not say why it was stepping back with the OneLove campaign. It may be related to the commotion that arose when the then captains of Feyenoord and Excelsior, Orkun Kökcü and Redouan El Yaakoubi, refused to wear the rainbow armband. Kökcü said his religious beliefs played a role in his refusal. El Yaakoubi said he found it important to respect everyone and each other’s standards and values.