Report: Belgium Told by FIFA to Remove Word 'Love' from Away Shirt at 2022 World Cup

FIFA has instructed the Belgium men's national team to remove the world "love" from the collar of its away kit, according to Julien Laurens of ESPN, creating yet another controversy during Qatar's World Cup.

Per that report, "a source told ESPN that FIFA were not even open to negotiation and categorically refused to discuss the matter with the Belgian federation. At the moment, they have not decided whether they will accept the international federation's request."

The decision comes after England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands agreed to not wear OneLove anti-discrimination armbands during the World Cup. FIFA said the captains of the team would receive an automatic yellow card if they wore the armbands.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, though the country has said LGBTQ+ spectators would be welcomed at the World Cup.

The safety of those spectators was further called into question, however, when Qatari World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman made anti-gay comments to German broadcaster ZDF earlier in November.

"[Homosexuality] is haram. You know what haram [forbidden] means?" he said (h/t Sky Sports). "During the World Cup, many things will come here to the country. Let's talk about gays: The most important thing is everybody will accept that they come here—but they will have to accept our rules."

Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which is responsible for planning the 2022 men's World Cup, said in a statement leading up to the event, "Everyone is welcome in Qatar, but we are a conservative country and any public display of affection, regardless of orientation, is frowned upon. We simply ask for people to respect our culture."

The nation's human rights record has also been called into question ahead of the 2022 World Cup, with reports of inhumane treatment of the migrant workers who built the stadiums and potentially thousands of deaths among those workers, though Qatari officials have vehemently disputed those figures.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino attempted to defend Qatar's human rights record and its regressive laws surrounding homosexuality and women's rights in a speech for reporters ahead of the start of the World Cup.

"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," he said as part of an hourlong speech that was widely criticized by human rights groups.

"We are taught many lessons from Europeans, from the Western world," he added. "What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons."