 When Germany and England's football captains walked on to the pitch at London's Wembley stadium this Tuesday, the one thing that united the bitter rivals was their rainbow armbands. The match, which was also the most watched of the championship so far, marked a validation for Germany's captain Manuel Neuer, even if his team lost to England for the first time since 1966. Neuer was initially investigated by the sport's governing body, the Union of European Football Associations, for wearing the armband at matches in honor of Pride Month. Germany's governing football body announced earlier this month the review had been dropped, after UEFA assessed the armband as a symbol for diversity and thus "for a good cause." The UEFA has been involved in a balancing act in the last few weeks as one of the continent's most watched sporting events plays out in the backdrop of battles between leading European nations and Poland and Hungary over laws discriminating against the LGBTQ community. The European Union is working on potential legal action against Poland as early as next month over its crackdown on LGBTQ rights, Bloomberg reported this week, citing people familiar with the matter. Last week the bloc sent a letter to Budapest warning of legal action after Viktor Orban's government in Hungary outlawed content for minors that can be deemed to "promote homosexuality." About a dozen European governments came out in criticism of the law, many arguing it blurred the line between homosexuals and child abusers. UEFA denied Germany's request this month to light a stadium in Munich in rainbow colors when the team played Hungary, on the grounds that UEFA is a politically and religiously neutral organization. But that didn't stop rainbow flags from popping up all over during the match. It isn't a stretch to think the footballers with a cause have the attention of citizens in places like Hungary and Poland, if not their governments. –Ruth David | 
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