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Ireland and USA wear Pride rainbow numbers on their shirts

Both the Republic of Ireland and United States football teams wore a special shirt on Saturday evening in their friendly fixture to show solidarity with the country's LGBT community.

Martin O'Neill's side beat the United States 2-1 in an international friendly at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening and did so with rainbow numbers on the back of their jerseys in place of the traditional white.

The FAI said that the move is to show support to the LGBT movement, and forms part of UEFA's 'Equal Game' initiative.

"Not just a number, this is a statement. Ireland, supporting LGBT rights," the FAI wrote on their official Twitter account as they shared a preview of the jersey. The decision was made to mark the beginning of Pride month.

The US soccer squad also wore the jersey at the game in Lansdowne Road. A spokesperson from US Soccer confirmed that the team would be wearing the jerseys all month during their friendlies.

Saturday night's game marked an interesting step in the direction of international federations as they begin to take further responsibility in tackling social issues.

To find out more about UEFA's #EqualGame initiative, follow this link to their website.

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