The Daily Star Ireland
Manchester United players were set to wear an Adidas jacket in support of the LGBTQ+ community before their match against Everton last Sunday. However, those plans were changed after defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to participate in the initiative. Over the past two seasons, United players have worn pride-themed gear during warm-ups and pre-match walks as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign, a league-wide effort to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Mazraoui, who is a Muslim, told his teammates he would not wear the jacket due to his religious beliefs. As a result, the team decided hours before the match to abandon the plan so that Mazraoui would not be singled out. Reports indicate that some players were unhappy with this decision.
Mazraoui had previously faced backlash in Germany in May of the previous year when Bayern Munich fans displayed a banner criticizing his stance on LGBTQ+ support, following his public backing of his Moroccan teammate Zakaria Aboukhlal, who had also refused to participate in a rainbow campaign while playing for Toulouse in France.
Adidas, who has a 10-year, £900 million deal with Manchester United, did not publicly comment on the situation, but they were reportedly disappointed by it.
In response, Manchester United issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to diversity and inclusion, including support for their LGBTQ+ fans and the Rainbow Devils supporters’ club. They acknowledged that players are entitled to hold personal views, especially concerning their faith, which may sometimes differ from the club’s position.
The Rainbow Devils group expressed disappointment that Mazraoui’s actions put the rest of the squad in a difficult position, while also expressing concern about the potential impact on players struggling with their sexuality. Despite this, they pledged to continue working with the club to promote inclusivity.
In another related matter, Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi will not face disciplinary action from the Football Association (FA) despite repeatedly defying FA rules by displaying religious messages on his rainbow captain’s armband. Guehi, a devout Christian, wrote messages such as “I love Jesus” and “Jesus loves you” on his armband during recent matches, even though the FA prohibits religious messages on player attire. The FA issued a reminder of its rules to Guehi and Palace but confirmed no formal action will be taken.
This comes as the Rainbow Laces campaign ends for the season, meaning Guehi will not be required to wear the rainbow armband again. Ipswich captain Sam Morsy, who also has religious beliefs, has been allowed to wear a standard armband in recent matches without facing any FA intervention.
Guehi’s father, John, a church minister, criticized the FA for issuing a reminder, questioning why his son’s religious expression was being scrutinized while other religious references, such as “God Save The King” or the hymn “Abide With Me,” are allowed at public events. He defended his son’s actions, stating that no offense was caused by the messages on the armband.
