When the United States’ national men’s team faces England at the Qatar World Cup<\/a> later on Friday, one thing will be missing: medieval knights.<\/p>\n Soccer\u2019s governing body FIFA has told English soccer fans to ditch imitation chain mail, shields and swords or miss the game, according to the Times of London. <\/p>\n \u201cCrusader costumes in the Arab context can be offensive against Muslims. That is why anti-discrimination colleagues asked fans to wear things inside out or change dress,\u201d the newspaper quoted a FIFA official as saying.<\/p>\n FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The teams’ second match in Qatar kicks off at 10 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), with both nations hoping for a win to help them progress from the group stage into the high-stakes knockout phase.<\/p>\n While not favorites to win the tournament, England beat Iran 6-2 on Monday. The U.S., meanwhile, tied 1-1 with Wales, which until this year had not qualified for the tournament in decades. <\/p>\n Iran beat Wales 2-0 earlier on Friday, increasing the pressure on the U.S. to pick up the points they need to qualify from Group B.<\/p>\n The controversy around the decision to bar the costumes centers around the Crusades, when Christian kingdoms launched a series of wars on the Muslim-held Holy Land, with some aiming to retake Jerusalem to burnish various rulers’ claim to Christian glory. <\/p>\n England fans have worn similar outfits at previous tournaments while watching other sports. Press photos and social media footage show that England fans wearing Crusader gear were allowed into the stadium to watch their team’s match against Iran.<\/p>\n But despite their ancient origins \u2014 between the 11th and 13th centuries \u2014 the Crusades reverberate today. <\/p>\n Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people<\/a> at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, wrote in his manifesto:\u00a0“ASK YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD POPE URBAN II DO?,” referring to the pope who called on Europeans to go to war against Islamic forces in the Middle East in 1095, leading to the first Crusade.<\/p>\n President George W. Bush also used the term in announcing his \u201cwar on terror\u201d in the wake of the 9\/11 attacks, causing alarm and anger.<\/p>\n \u201cThis crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while, and the American people must be patient,\u201d he told reporters<\/a> at the White House on Sept. 15, 2001.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2022_11\/1669380029698_now_mnn_eng_usa_worldcup_221125_1920x1080-zy7l41.jpg\")
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