Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard has slammed Germany for their OneLove armband protest at the World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA has banned participating nations from wearing the rainbow armband at the tournament – a symbol of inclusivity and anti-discrimination – with homosexuality illegal in Qatar, sparking debate among players, fans and pundits.

Germany players responded to FIFA’s ban by covering their mouths before kick-off against Japan to signal that they have been silenced by world football’s governing body.

“Afterwards they lost the match,” Hazard told RMC Sport when asked about the German gesture.

“They would have done better not to do it and to win.

“We are here to play football, I am not here to send a political message, people are better placed for that. We want to be focused on football.

“I’m not comfortable talking about it because I’m here to play football. We were banned for a bit…

“I didn’t want to start the match with a yellow card, it would have been annoying for the rest of the tournament.”