Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi wrote a religious message on his rainbow armband for a second successive Premier League game despite the Football Association saying it would remind him of its rules on the matter.
Guehi wore an armband with the message ‘Jesus loves you’ during Crystal Palace’s Premier League victory over Ipswich Town on Tuesday, which took place during a matchweek to mark the top-flight’s Rainbow Laces campaign.
The 24-year-old, who is a devout Christian, had sported an ‘I love Jesus’ message on his armband during his side’s draw with Newcastle United on Saturday.
The FA said following the Newcastle match that Guehi would be reminded about the organisation’s rules, which states religious, political and personal messages are not permitted on equipment.
The Athletic has contacted the FA over whether Guehi will face action for having a religious message displayed against Ipswich.
What are football’s laws on religious messages?
It is not compulsory for captains to wear the rainbow armband during the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces matchweeks and is instead down to the choice of the individual.
However, Guehi’s initial religious message could have seen him punished by the game’s authorities with IFAB’s (The International Football Association Board) laws of the game prohibiting such statements on equipment worn during matches.
“Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” the relevant section of the laws reads.
For any offence “the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA,” it adds.
What is the rainbow laces campaign?
Rainbow Laces weekend is an initiative run by the English top flight in partnership with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall to promote equality, diversity and LGBTQ+ acceptance.
It was introduced in 2013 and takes place across matchweeks 13 and 14 this season. In addition to armbands, rainbow corner flags, ball plinths and handshake boards are provided to clubs by the Premier League to use at stadiums during the two matchweeks.
A recent survey conducted by Stonewall found one in four LGBTQ+ people do not feel welcome at live sports events, while one in three Black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBTQ+ people who attended a live sport event in the last year reported experiencing discrimination.
The Athletic reported in December 2023 that the Premier League had more than halved its annual funding for Stonewall in its most recent contract with the charity, while Adidas also vastly reduced their own financial commitment.
What did other captains in the Premier League do?
All 20 captains in the Premier League bar Ipswich’s Sam Morsy wore the rainbow armband during matchweek 13.
The 33-year-old midfielder is a practising Muslim and chose not to do so due to his religious beliefs. He also did not wear the rainbow armband against Palace.
Ipswich LGBTQ+ supporters group Rainbow Tractors said they had been informed ahead of the fixture of the club captain’s intentions and while “disappointed” they said they will continue to respect his beliefs.
What did Oliver Glasner say?
Asked about Guehi’s armband by Amazon Prime, Palace head coach Oliver Glasner said: “We should keep it calm. Marc everybody knows he is a great player, a great personality. He is a very humble guy. Everybody is about integration, no discrimination and Marc as well. I think we all have the same opinion. In sports, we are all against discrimination, against any kind of abuse. And Marc as well.”
What happens next?
It is unclear what happens next and whether Guehi will face any FA charges.
According to IFAB’s laws of the game, the defender could have been punished for the initial religious message displayed against Newcastle. The FA opted to contact Palace to formally remind them and Guehi of the game’s kit and advertising regulations but stopped short of any formal charge.
(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
