Manchester United have been hit by chaos after a devout Muslim star player refused to wear a rainbow jacket in the Premier League’s latest LGBT Pride controversy.
Red Devils players have previously worn a pride-themed jersey to warm up before games for the past two years to show their support for the LGTBQ+ community as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign.
And the club planned to come out in a rainbow jacket ahead of their clash against Everton on Sunday, but Moroccan star Noussair Mazraoui refused, Athletic has reported now.
The outlet claims that Mazraoui, who is a devout Muslim, told his teammates that he would not wear the jacket and cited his religious faith as reasoning.
United decided that no player would wear the tracksuit, so Mazraoui would not be publicly singled out; the decision was reportedly made just hours before kickoff on Sunday.
His decision comes after England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi defied a reprimand from the Football Association by writing a religious message on his rainbow-coloured captain’s armband last night.
And Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy has twice refused to wear the rainbow armband.
In a statement today, Manchester United said: “welcomes fans of all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community,” adding: “We are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.
Man United scrapped plans to wear LGBT rainbow jacket after Noussair Mazraoui refused
In previous seasons, United have worn the shirt to show their support for the LGBT community.
Mazraoui (left), who is a devout Muslim, told his teammates that he would not wear it because of his faith.
‘We demonstrate these principles through a variety of activities, including supporting our Rainbow Devils supporters club and campaigns to celebrate our LGBTQ+ fans and combat all forms of discrimination.
“Players are entitled to their own individual opinions, especially in relation to their faith, which can sometimes differ from the club’s position.”
United’s LGBT fan group Rainbow Devils issued a response this morning, saying they were “disappointed” with the summer signing.
In a post about unknownthe organization wrote: ‘As part of this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign, Rainbow Devils worked closely with Manchester United and the Fan Engagement team and had great support.
“This has included working with the Manchester United Foundation to spread the message of inclusion in local schools, a question and answer session with two men’s first team players and messages of support from many men’s and women’s first team players (including one individual of captain Bruno Fernandes).
‘On this latest occasion, which was United’s official Rainbow Laces match, players were required to wear specially designed jackets before the match to mark the occasion. Shortly before the game, the Rainbow Devils were informed that these jackets would not be worn.
“The reason was that one of the players on the match day team refused to wear the jacket due to his personal beliefs. Therefore, to maintain the spirit and unity of the team, none of the players would wear them.
“This was obviously a huge disappointment for Rainbow Devils, but also for all those who had worked hard at the club to put on this event. “We know who the player in question is, but we believe it is not our role to point it out and we risk spoil all the other positive things that most of the club members have done.
Former United stars Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) and Jadon Sancho (right) pictured wearing the jacket.
United did not want Mazraoui to be singled out in public, so they scrapped pre-match plans entirely.
“We respect this player’s right to have his own views, although we are also disappointed that he put the rest of the team in a position where they felt they could not wear their jackets.
“We are also concerned about what kind of negative effect this incident could have on any players at the club who may be struggling with their sexuality.”
They signed the statement confirming that they would “continue to work with Man United” to “ensure all LGBTQ+ people feel safe and welcome at Old Trafford”.
Meanwhile, The Athletic He further claimed that Adidas, who are United’s sponsors and produced the pre-match jacket, were disappointed by the situation.
The club’s agreement with the sportswear firm worth £900 million over a 10-year period.
Mazraoui, 27, was previously criticized for his political views after showing support for his 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 of last year.
In response, fans of Bayern Munich, for which Mazraoui played at the time, held up a banner that read: “All colors are beautiful.” In Toulouse, Munich and everywhere. Respect our Mazraoui values!’
Mazraoui’s refusal to wear the jacket before the match comes after Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy, who is also a devout Muslim, twice refused to wear the rainbow armband.
Morsi, 33 years old, I wasn’t wearing the bracelet for Saturday’s 1-0 defeat in Nottingham Forest due to their religious beliefs.
He was also seen without the rainbow armband as the players took to the field for Tuesday night’s clash between Ipswich and Crystal Palace on Portman Road.
In 2023, when he was playing for Bayern Munich, fans told Mazraoui to “respect our values.”
Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi wrote ‘Jesus loves you’ on his armband against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy refused to wear a rainbow armband during his team’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest for religious reasons.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who is a devout Christian, chose to write “Jesus loves you” on his rainbow bracelet. He has since been reprimanded by the FA.
In light of Morsi’s refusal to wear the rainbow armband over the weekend, Ipswich issued a statement insisting the club “proudly supports” the Premier League campaign.
They said: ‘Ipswich Town Football Club is committed to being a fully inclusive club that welcomes everyone.
‘We proudly support the first division ‘The Rainbow Laces campaign and support the LGBTQ+ community in promoting equality and acceptance,’ the spokesperson said.
Gehi’s father, who is ac.The Church minister has since accused the FA of applying double standards after Muslim player Morsi, who refused to wear the armband, was not punished, and claimed they are pandering to the LGBT community’s demands over the rules. Christians.
He told MailOnline: ‘What I’m saying is, 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 is doing, they are trying to impose what they believe on others, it is belief against belief, but at the end of the day everyone is entitled to an opinion.
“But if the goal of that opinion is to offend you then there is a problem, but if my opinion is just to express what I feel then I think that’s fine and I don’t think what Marc wrote on that bracelet is offensive.”
“He’s talking about him, he loves Jesus and like I said he didn’t refuse to wear that bracelet, like Morsi, people should pay more attention to the person who refused to wear it.”
Guehi faces formal reprimand from FA after writing on rainbow armband
Guehi’s father, John (left), came forward and defended his son’s decision with the bracelet.
In 2020, United announced a partnership with LGBT+ charity Stonewall as part of the club’s ‘All Red All Equal’ campaign.
United signed up for Stonewall’s Diversity Champions program, which promotes the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans employees in the workplace.
They also participated in Stonewall’s Workplace Allies program 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.