Manchester United have been plunged into chaos after a devout Muslim star player refused to wear a rainbow jacket to show support for the LGBTQ+ community – leaving his teammates divided.
Red Devils players have previously worn a pride-themed jersey to warm up ahead of games, over the past two years, to show support for the LGBTQ+ community as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign.
And the club planned to walk-out in a rainbow jacket prior to their clash against Everton on Sunday only for Moroccan star Noussair Mazraoui to refuse, the Athletic has now reported.
The outlet claims that Mazraoui, who is a devout Muslim, told his colleagues that he would not be wearing the jacket and cited his religious faith as his reasoning.
United decided that no player would wear the tracksuit, so Mazraoui would not be singled out publicly – with the decision reportedly just taken hours before kick-off on Sunday.
His move comes after England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi defied a Football Association reprimand by writing a religious message on his rainbow-coloured captain’s armband last night – and Ipswich Town skipper Sam Morsy has now twice refused to wear the rainbow armband.
Man United scrapped plans to wear an LGBT rainbow jacket after Noussair Mazraoui refused
In previous seasons, United have worn the top to show their support for the LGBT community
Mazraoui (left) – who is a devout Muslim – told teammates he would not wear it due to his faith
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi expressed his Christian faith by writing on his rainbow armband for a second consecutive match, before sharing this Instagram message last night
Comedian and Arsenal supporter Matt Lucas has been among those hitting out at players choosing not to wear rainbow-coloured armbands, posting online: ‘I have been verbally abused twice on the way to football matches so far this season.
‘On both occasions I was minding my own business, head down, walking to the ground.
‘I was called “a f***ing queer ****” by one man and another told me that “our club doesn’t want disgusting gay fans”.
‘If you’re a player and that offends you less than wearing a rainbow-coloured armband for a couple of matches, then maybe you’re part of the problem.’
In a statement today, Manchester United said the club ‘welcomes fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community’, adding: ‘We are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.
‘We demonstrate these principles through a range of activities, including support for our Rainbow Devils supporters’ club, and campaigns to celebrate our LGBTQ+ fans and combat all forms of discrimination.
‘Players are entitled to hold their own individual opinions, particularly in relation to their faith, and these may sometimes differ from the club’s position.’
United’s LGBT fan group Rainbow Devils this morning issued a response, saying they were ‘disappointed’ in the summer signing.
Former United stars Cristiano Ronaldo (middle) and Jadon Sancho (right) pictured in the jacket
United did not want Mazraoui to be singled out in public so scrapped the pre-match plans entirely
In a post on X, the organisation wrote: ‘As part of this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign, Rainbow Devils worked closely with – and had great support from – Manchester United and the Fan Engagement team.
‘This has included working with the Manchester United Foundation to spread the message of inclusivity with local schools, to a Q&A with two Men’s first team players, to supportive messages from many Men and Women first team players (including an individual one from captain Bruno Fernandes).
‘On this latter occasion, which was United’s official Rainbow Laces game, the players were due to wear specially designed jackets pre-match to mark the occasion. Shortly before the game, Rainbow Devils was informed that these jackets would not be worn.
‘The reason being that one of the matchday squad had refused to wear the jacket on the grounds of their personally held beliefs. Therefore, to maintain the team ethos and togetherness, none of the players would be wearing them.
‘This was obviously a great disappointment to Rainbow Devils, but also to all those who had worked hard at the club to deliver this event.
‘We are aware of who the player concerned is, but we feel it isn’t our role to single him out, and risk spoiling all the other positive things that the majority of those at the club have done.
‘We respect the right of this player to have his own views, whilst also feeling disappointed that he put the rest of the squad into a position where they felt that they couldn’t wear their jackets.
‘We also worry what kind of negative effect this incident might have on any player at the club who may be struggling with their sexuality.’
Back in 2023, when he played for Bayern Munich, fans told Mazraoui to ‘respect our values’
They signed off the statement by confirming they would ‘continue to work with Man United’ to ‘ensure all LGBTQ+ people feel safe and welcome at Old Trafford’.
Meanwhile, The Athletic further claimed that Adidas – who are United’s sponsors and made the pre-match jacket – were left disappointed by the situation. The club’s deal with the sportswear firm is worth £900million over a 10-year period.
Mazraoui, 27, was previously criticised over his political views after he showed support to Morocco team-mate and Toulouse right-winger Zakaria Aboukhlal who had refused to take part in the French Ligue 1’s rainbow campaign in May last year.
As a response, fans of Bayern Munich – for whom Mazraoui was playing at the time – held up a banner that read: ‘All colours are beautiful. In Toulouse, Munich and everywhere. Respect our values Mazraoui!’
Mazraoui’s refusal to wear the pre-match jacket comes after Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy – who is also a devout Muslim – twice refused to wear the rainbow armband.
Morsy, 33, did not wear the armband for Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest due to his religious beliefs.
He was also spotted without the rainbow armband as the players took to the pitch for Tuesday night’s clash between Ipswich and Crystal Palace at Portman Road.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi – who is a devout Christian – opted to write ‘Jesus loves You’ on his rainbow armband. He has since been reprimanded by the FA.
Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi wrote ‘Jesus loves You’ over his armband against Ipswich Town
In light of Morsy’s refusal to wear the rainbow armband on the weekend, Ipswich released a statement insisting the club ‘proudly supports’ the Premier League’s campaign.
They said: ‘Ipswich Town Football Club is committed to being a fully inclusive club that welcomes everyone.
‘We proudly support the Premier League ‘s Rainbow Laces campaign and stand with the LGBTQ+ community in promoting equality and acceptance,’ the spokesperson said.
Guehi’s father – who is a church minister – has since accused the FA of double standards after Muslim player Morsy, who refused to wear the armband, was not punished – and claimed they are pandering to the demands of the LGBT community over Christians.
He told MailOnline: ‘I am saying did he offend anyone? I don’t think so.
‘I do believe in what the Bible says, Jesus loves everyone, and, in my opinion, Marc did not offend anyone with what he wrote.
‘If you look at what the LGBT community are doing, they are trying to impose on others what they believe in, it’s belief against belief, but at the end of the day everyone has the right to an opinion.
‘But if that opinion’s aim is to offend you then there is a problem but if my opinion is just to express what I feel then I think that is fine and I don’t think what Marc wrote on that armband is offensive.
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy refused to wear a rainbow armband during his side’s 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest on religious grounds
‘He is talking about him, he loves Jesus and like I said he didn’t refuse to wear that armband, like Morsy, people should pay more attention to the person who refused to wear it’.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes did wear a rainbow armband in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Everton.
A spokesman for Stonewall said support for the campaign ‘helps people feel safe and welcome’.
The charity added: ‘It is up to individuals to choose if and how they show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.’
Back in 2020, United announced a partnership with LGBT+ charity Stonewall as part of the club’s ‘All Red All Equal’ campaign.
United signed up to Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme which promotes the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bi and trans employees in the workplace.
They also participated in Stonewall’s Workplace Allies programme to help non-LGBT employees across the club support an LGBT-inclusive culture.
United became the first football club to join Stonewall’s TeamPride coalition in 2017 and have supported its Rainbow Laces campaign, as well as launching its first LGBT+ Supporters’ group, Rainbow Devils in 2019.
Guehi faces being formally reprimanded by the FA after writing on his rainbow armband
Guehi’s father John (left) has come forward and defended his son’s decision with the armband
Last season, Sheffield United captain Anel Ahmedhodzic became the first skipper in seven years to refuse to wear a rainbow armband.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina star didn’t provide an official response as to why he didn’t wear it but Swedish outlet SVT Sport claimed he got back to them when questioned via text message.
The defender cryptically replied, ‘Guess’, before failing to answer further questions.
There have also been notable examples on the continent, with Orkun Kokcu and Idrissa Gueye – then of Feyenoord and PSG respectively – citing religious grounds for their objection.
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