Ronaldo not the only captain to not wear rainbow armband at Euro 2020 | Fact check
The claim: Cristiano Ronaldo was only captain to refuse to wear LGBTQ armband during Euro 2020
[En Español: Ronaldo no fue el único capitán que no lució la banda arco iris en Eurocopa 2020]
A June 18 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a picture of soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo, who's wearing a black armband, and Manuel Neuer, who's wearing a rainbow armband.
"At the Euro Cup 2020, the European Union forced all captains of national teams to wear the lgtb badge," reads part of the post's caption in Spanish. "But Cristiano was the only Euro captain who refused and doesn't wear the lgtb armband."
The post was shared more than 7,000 times in 10 days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Threads and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
Other captains besides Ronaldo wore more typical armbands during the soccer tournament. There's no evidence the rainbow armbands were required; in fact, the tournament organizer investigated whether they violated policy.
Ronaldo didn't break rule by wearing normal armband
The Euro 2020 soccer tournament, organized by the Union of European Football Associations, was held across Europe in June and July of 2021 due to a delay caused by the pandemic. Several players, including Neuer, England captain Harry Kane and Netherlands captain Gini Wijnaldum, wore rainbow armbands throughout the tournament to show support for the LGBTQ community.
There's no evidence the rainbow armbands were required during the tournament, however. There are no credible news reports about the armbands being mandatory during the tournament, and no mention of such a policy on the UEFA's website.
Photos captured during the tournament show that several captains besides Ronaldo chose to wear more typical armbands, including Denmark captain Simon Kjaer and Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini.
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The UEFA initially launched an investigation into whether or not Neuer's armband violated the association's rule against athletes making political statements but ultimately decided it was for a "good cause," according to ESPN.
USA TODAY reached out to the UEFA for comment but the association declined to comment on the record.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
Football and TNT Sports, Aug. 24, 2021, X post
The New York Times, July 11, 2021, Chiellini, Bonucci and the Art of Defending
Getty Images, July 2, 2021, Switzerland v Spain – UEFA Euro 2020: Quarter-final
ESPN, June 21, 2021, Germany's Manuel Neuer won't face disciplinary action for rainbow armband
The Washington Post, June 27, 2021, Dutch player shares ‘one love’ message on armband during Euro match
The Independent, June 29, 2021, Harry Kane: England captain wears rainbow armband against Germany
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, rainbow armbands were not required at Euro 2020 | Fact check
