No, Ronaldo Didn’t Defy Rule of Wearing ‘One Love’ Bands During UEFA Euro 2020

UEFA's media relations team confirmed to us that there was no rule mandating all captains to wear the said band.

Fact-Check | The claim of Cristiano Ronaldo being the only captain to not wear 'One Love' band is false.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is being shared to claim that he was the only captain to not wear 'One Love' bands during the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Euro 2020 tournament.

What do viral posts say?: The viral post carried text that said, "At Euro 2020, UEFA (European Football Association) ordered all team captains to wear "OneLove" bands. The band was used as a symbol of LGBTQ. But, Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was the only European captain who did not wear the band."

You can view an archive of the post here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar such posts can be accessed here, here, and here.)

What is the truth?: Firstly, the image shows German footballer Manuel Neuer wearing a rainbow armband and not the 'One Love' band as claimed.

• Additionally, there was no rule which mandated all the captains to wear the said armband during the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

What about the image?: We performed a reverse image search on the viral image and found the same visual uploaded on the stock image website named 'Alamy'.

• The image was captioned, "Munich, Germany. 19th June, 2021. Football: European Championship, Portugal - Germany, preliminary round, Group F, 2nd matchday in the EM Arena Munich. Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (l) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo before the match."

• It should be noted that Ronaldo was spotted wearing the 'Respect' armband during the match.

The image was captured on 19 June 2021.

(Source: Alamy/Screenshot)

Details on Neuer's armband: As per reports, the German captain was seen wearing a rainbow armband during the Euro 2020 matches against different teams, such as France and Portugal.

• The armband represented solidarity with the LGBT+ community and was worn by the footballer in honour of Pride Month.

• While the football body investigated to check if Neuer's armband breached its rules regarding political statements, the investigation was later stopped.

The report was published on 21 June 2021.

(Source: Sky Sports/Screenshot)

• A week later, the England football team had announced that their captain would be joining Neuer in wearing a rainbow captain's armband.

What is the 'One Love' armband?: These bands were launched in 2020 as part of the inclusiveness campaign run by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB).

• The campaign opposed discrimination based on race, skin, colour, sexual orientation, among others.

The image shows the 'One Love' armband.

(Source: Wikimedia Commons/Screenshot)

Was the 'One Love' armband compulsory in Euro 2020?: Replying to our query on mail, the UEFA media relations team denied claims of any rule that mandated captains wearing the said armbands. They termed the viral claim as "100% fake news."

Did other captains wear 'One Love' armband?: We found several images which showed that other captains did not wear the said armband during the Euro 2020 as well.

• You can view such visuals here, here, and here.

Conclusion: It is clear that the image of Ronaldo is being shared with a false claim.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)