English player Marc Guéhi, from Crystal Palace, will not be punished for writing religious messages on his captain’s armband during Premier League games, the local press reported this Tuesday (3).
On Saturday (30), during a match between Crystal Palae and Newcastle that ended in a 1-1 draw, Guéhi wore the armband decorated with the colors of the rainbow for a Premier League campaign against homophobia, which read “I love Jesus” (I love Jesus). The inscription was interpreted by some people as a show of disapproval of the campaign to support the LGBTQ community.
This Tuesday (3), he repeated the gesture during Crystal Palace’s 1-0 victory against Ipswich Town, but this time the message was “Jesus loves you”.
According to the British press, the Premier League reminded the athlete that messages of a religious nature are expressly prohibited, but ruled out opening disciplinary proceedings against him. In the past, Guéhi had publicly expressed his strong Christian convictions.
In the last two rounds of the English championship, team captains wore a rainbow armband as part of the “Rainbow Laces” campaign against homophobia in sport.
Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner defended his player: “Everyone is in favor of integration and against discrimination, also in the case of Marc. He has his opinion and we accept it. We accept all opinions”, he declared.
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy also sparked controversy as he did not wear the colors of the rainbow, but rather a traditional armband, also for religious reasons, according to information released by his club.
The Premier League has not yet commented on this second case.
Manchester United captain, Portuguese Bruno Fernandes, wore the rainbow armband last Sunday, but the team’s players did not enter the field with a training jacket also in the colors, due to Moroccan Noussair Mazraoui’s refusal to wear it. the clothing.
“We are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion. Players are entitled to their opinions, especially in relation to their faith, which may sometimes differ from the club’s position,” Manchester United explained in a statement.
