Japanese players wear black armbands at Women's World Cup to remember royal family member
Japan's Risa Shimizu, left, adjusts her black arm band as she runs with teammate Japan's Risa Shimizu prior to the start of the Women's World Cup Group C soccer match between Zambia and Japan in Hamilton, New Zealand, Saturday, July 22, 2023. Credit: AP/John Cowpland
HAMILTON, New Zealand — Japanese players wore black armbands in their Women's World Cup opener against Zambia on Saturday following the death of Fumiko Tottori, the mother of Japanese Princess Takamado.
The princess is the honorary patron of the Japan Football Association, and her mother, Tottori, 96, died Tuesday in Tokyo. FIFA granted the association’s request to wear the bands as a tribute.
The Japanese team wore the armbands days after New Zealand and Norway held a moment of silence ahead of the tournament's opening match after two men were killed in a shooting in downtown Auckland.
Before the tournament, FIFA announced it would permit team captains to wear eight specially designed armbands unveiled earlier this month.
The eight armband designs were based on anti-discriminatory themes including inclusivity toward Indigenous peoples, ending domestic violence and creating gender equality.