Soccer player Marc Gehi and his team received a formal warning from league officials after writing religious messages on their armbands.
Gehi is the captain of Crystal Palace, a team in England's top division, the Premier League. Each team will have one player wear a designated captain's armband on the field, and last weekend, all teams were assigned rainbow-colored armbands to signify their “support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports.”
But Guehi, a devout Christian, decided to write “I love Jesus” on his armband. In response, the English Football Association issued a warning against wearing jerseys with religious messages.
“He's not a child, he's an adult. He has his own opinion and we respect that.”
According to ESPNThe FA's uniform regulations prohibit the “displaying or incorporation of political or religious messages on any clothing” and state that breaches of the regulations “may result in disciplinary action.” .
The rules also state that “for any violation, players and/or teams may be sanctioned by the competition organizer, national football association or FIFA.”
Gehi will avoid a fine, but the Crystal Palace manager was quick to reaffirm that his team aims to “integrate” rather than “discriminate”.
“Everyone is thinking about integration, non-discrimination and marks now,” Oliver Glasner said. “We talked about it. He's not a kid, he's an adult and he has his opinion and we respect that.”
There are also specific rules regarding armbands, with the guidelines stating that players must wear “a simple armband that complies with the requirements regarding slogans, statements, images and advertising”.
The origin of the rainbow armband campaign stone walla British gay charity, says it represents “lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people from around the world”.
It's certainly strange that a campaign based on sexuality isn't considered political or religious, but Gehi wasn't the only one to voice his attitude during the weekend's series of games.
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy is a Muslim and refused to wear a rainbow-coloured armband, instead opting for a classic plain black armband.
Ipswich Town's Sam Morsy refused to wear a rainbow armband, while Crystal Palace's Mark Gehi wrote “I love Jesus” on it.Photo by Sean Botterill/Getty Images
Morsy's decision was shocking, but the FA insisted it was a club matter and did not issue a warning.
Ipswich Town still issued a depressing statement.
“Ipswich Town Football Club strives to be a fully inclusive club where everyone is welcome.”
“At the same time, we respect the decision of our captain, Sam Morsy, who chose not to wear the rainbow captain armband due to his religious beliefs,” the team continued.
“We will continue to foster an environment where everyone is valued and valued, both on and off the pitch.”
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