Germany players covered their mouths during the team photograph before their World Cup opener against Japan amid the row with Fifa over the OneLove armband.
The gesture follows Fifa threatening players with a booking for wearing the OneLove armband during games in Qatar.
“It wasn’t about making a political statement,” said the Germany football federation (DFB) on Twitter.
“Human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us.
“Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position.”
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