The Matildas stars still don’t know if FIFA will allow indigenous Australian flags to be displayed at World Cup games as the team sweats over a big decision.
The Matildas will eagerly await a decision from FIFA on whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags can be displayed in stadiums during the Women’s World Cup.
Indigenous couple Kyah Simon and Lydia Williams and their Matildas teammates pose with the Aboriginal flag before the start of their first group match against New Zealand at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Several of the Matildas have previously spoken about Cathy Freeman hanging the Aboriginal flag around her neck at Stadium Australia after her triumph at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a defining moment in her childhood.
The New York Times reported last week that FIFA intends to hang indigenous flags in stadiums, while the game’s governing body has already confirmed that one of eight armbands available for captains to wear at this year’s tournament month is a red option “United for indigenous peoples”.
Simon, a member of the FA’s National Indigenous Advisory Group, did not want to know specifically what he expected to see in the stadiums, as FIFA is still working on the situation.
Matildas players pose with the Aboriginal flag before their match at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics against New Zealand
Kyah Simon, a proud Anaiwan woman, said being able to hold the aboriginal flag at the games is a cause close to her heart.
Sam Kerr, pictured in front of the Australian flag at Monday’s team announcement, will captain the Matildas at the upcoming World Cup.
But the 32-year-old, a proud Anaiwan woman who recovered from a torn ACL to win a World Cup spot on home soil, previously enjoyed watching family members in the stands with the aboriginal flag.
“For me, obviously, I’m proud of our culture and our First Nations people in the country,” Simon told reporters on Monday.
“Every major tournament, my family came and brought their own aboriginal flag and for me that’s obviously a part of my history and my culture and to see my family in the crowd, obviously holding the flag too, that’s close to home. for me
“There is no better place than being here in Australia to showcase our Indigenous First Nations culture and heritage and I hope that people who come from abroad can see that rich culture we have here and also be educated along the way.” .’
The FA welcomed the news of the Indigenous Peoples armband and indicated it expected a decision on the flags this week.
“Football Australia is also pleased to see the opportunity to recognize Indigenous Peoples as one of the causes identified by FIFA for its themed bracelets with hosts Football Australia and New Zealand Football also anticipating guidance from FIFA in the coming week on in connection with the hanging of the First Flags of Nations in stadiums during the tournament,” the FA said in a statement on Sunday.
