The UK’s first openly gay sports minister has vowed to wear the OneLove rainbow armband to the England v Wales World Cup match in Qatar this evening.

Stuart Andrew, who is also an equalities minister, said that he would “absolutely” be wearing the band as he is “not going to shy away from who I am”.

Last week, Fifa warned players that they could receive sanctions, potentially including yellow cards, for donning the OneLove band, which is part of a campaign “to promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination of any kind” on the pitch.

Players, including England captain Harry Kane and Wales captain Gareth Bale, had previously planned to wear the armband during matches in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, but the threat prompted football bodies, including the FA, to backtrack on the decision.

“Our message very much is that no one should have to shy away from who they are,” Andrew told the Evening Standard yesterday.

The UK’s first openly gay sports minister is set to wear the OneLove rainbow armband at the World Cup