England captain Leah Williamson, right, wants to wear the OneLove armband at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year ©Getty Images

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has vowed to "look for dialogue" after the controversy surrounding the "OneLove" armband at the Qatar 2022 men's World Cup, and to find a solution "well before the Women's World Cup" in Australia and New Zealand later this year..

Several European nations had planned to use the armband for their captains in Qatar as a show of supports for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer plus others) rights.

Qatar's record on several human rights issues overshadowed the tournament, with homosexuality illegal in the Gulf state.

The European countries backed down, claiming that FIFA had threatened to issue yellow cards to captains who wore the OneLove armband.

The global governing body permitted captains to wear a "no discrimination" armband instead.

Germany's team covered their mouths during a photo before their first match against Japan in a protest against FIFA's threat.

Several European nations opted not to wear the OneLove armband at Qatar 2022, after FIFA had warned captains could be issued with yellow cards for doing so ©Getty Images
Several European nations opted not to wear the OneLove armband at Qatar 2022, after FIFA had warned captains could be issued with yellow cards for doing so ©Getty Images

The issue has resurfaced with the Women's World Cup scheduled for July 20 to August 20 this year, with England captain Leah Williamson expressing her desire to wear the OneLove armband and "promote the values we believe in so much".

During a visit to London for an International Football Association Board meeting, International Olympic Committee member Infantino expressed a desire to find a solution.

"I think we all went through a learning process there," the Swiss official said.

"What we will try to do better this time is to search and look for dialogue with everyone involved - the captains, the Federations, the players generally, FIFA, from all over the world - to capture the different sensitivities to explain, to exchange and to see what can be done in order to express a position, values or whatever feeling that somebody has without hurting anyone else in a positive way

"We are looking for a dialogue and we will have a solution in place well before the Women's World Cup."

England's Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham admitted that "nobody enjoyed the circumstances we had at the men's World Cup", and said "we have started a conversation to make sure we can resolve the situation a long time before the [Women's] World Cup".

FIFA Gianni Infantino was in London for an IFAB meeting, and insisted there had been a
FIFA Gianni Infantino was in London for an IFAB meeting, and insisted there had been a "learning process" in Qatar ©Getty Images

Infantino delivered a passionate defence of Qatar's record on human rights during a remarkable pre-World Cup press conference in which he remarked "today I feel gay" and accused Western nations of "hypocrisy".

FIFA has faced criticism for its handling of human rights concerns related to Qatar 2022, including its letter sent to teams before the start of the tournament in November urging them to "focus on the football".

It has also faced criticism over reports of a sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia's tourism board Visit Saudi for the Women's World Cup.

Homosexuality and same-sex marriage are both outlawed according to Saudi Arabia's uncodified Islamic law, and its record on women's rights continues to be heavily criticised.