Matt Lucas has hit out at players choosing not to wear rainbow-coloured armbands after several Premier League stars refused to show solidarity in the recent round of Premier League games.
It comes after devout Christian Marc Guehi chose to write ‘I love Jesus’ over his rainbow armband at the weekend, before wearing a second on Tuesday at Ipswich Town that read: ‘Jesus loves you’. He has since been reprimanded.
The Portman Road clash was also notable for the decision of Ipswich Town skipper Sam Morsy to refuse to wear the rainbow armband altogether, having first done so last weekend.
Captains have been wearing rainbow armbands in the last two rounds of Premier League matches as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign, which offers support to the LGBTQ+ community in football and beyond.
The Athletic then reported that Man United star Noussair Mazraoui, who is a devout Muslim, told his colleagues that he would not be wearing a rainbow jacket to show support for the LGBTQ+ community 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.
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Matt Lucas has slammed players deciding not to wear rainbow armbands to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community
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Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi wrote ‘Jesus loves You’ over his armband against Ipswich Town
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Man United scrapped plans to wear an rainbow jacket after Noussair Mazraoui refused
In the wake of the controversy, famous Arsenal fan Matt Lucas has slammed those deciding not to show their support with rainbow armbands,
‘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.’
It was a weekend that saw numerous points of controversy, with Morsy refusing to wear the armband, Guehi writing over his, and Mazraoui choosing not to wear a jacket, which spilled over into the midweek fixtures.
Despite the FA reprimanding Guehi for his decision to write on the armband, they opted not to take action against Morsy for not wearing it – which Guehi’s father spoke out against.
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.
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Guehi will face no formal action from the FA despite wearing an adapted rainbow armband for the second time
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Guehi sparked controversy after scrawling a message on his armband for the second game in a row
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Guehi’s father John (left) has come forward and defended his son’s decision with the armband
Jesus loved everyone therefore by saying ‘I love Jesus’ on his armband I really don’t see what is offensive and what the problem is.
‘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.
‘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’.
The club and the player were again reminded of kit regulations, which state that the appearance on, or incorporation in, any item of clothing, football boots or other equipment, of any religious message is prohibited under Rule A4.
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.
WHAT IS THE RAINBOW LACES CAMPAIGN?
The Rainbow Laces football initiative was first launched in 2013 and sees clubs use rainbow corner flags, while captains wear rainbow armbands as well as laces, in a bid to encourage inclusion and send a message against homophobic abuse.
The campaign backed by LGBT+ charity Stonewall has now become an annual tradition for clubs at this time of year.
There was some criticism in its first year over a tie-up with betting firm Paddy Power and the slogan ‘Right Behind Gay Footballers’.
Rainbow-coloured laces were sent to clubs across the country, while high-profile supporters of the launch included former Manchester City and England midfielder Joey Barton and the late footballer Justin Fashanu’s niece Amal Fashanu.
Former Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt has said: ‘There’s no 10-point charter, or pledge that will prevent someone for shouting homophobic abuse. It needs concentrated work, careful attention and a thought-through strategy to ensure no one is left behind.’
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In previous seasons, United have worn the top to show their support for the LGBT community
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Former United stars Cristiano Ronaldo (middle) and Jadon Sancho (right) pictured in the jacket
In a statement, 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.
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.
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United did not want Mazraoui to be singled out in public so scrapped the pre-match plans entirely
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Mazraoui (left) – who is a devout Muslim – told team-mates he would not wear it due to his faith
‘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’.
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!’
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Back in 2023, when he played for Bayern Munich, fans told Mazraoui to ‘respect our values’
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.
