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English soccer fans have been banned from dressing up as knights in shining armor ahead of Friday’s World Cup tie against the U.S. in Qatar because the outfits are considered offensive to Muslims.
British supporters have dressed up as St. George—the patron saint of England—at international sports tournaments for at least two decades. But international soccer governing body FIFA says the chainmail costumes are inappropriate in the Islamic host nation of this year’s World Cup because they invoke 1,000-year-old holy wars between Christians and Muslims.