England football international and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi will not face formal action after defying the English Football Association (FA) and displaying a religious message on his rainbow captain’s armband, twice in three days.
The FA sent Guéhi and Palace a reminder of its rules after he wrote “I love Jesus” on his armband and wore it during the match against Newcastle on Saturday. He used a heart sign for ‘love.’
The 24-year-old, who is a devout Christian, then played against Ipswich Town on Tuesday night with his armband bearing the message “Jesus loves you,’ again using a heart sign.
The FA declined to take any punitive action, with the governing body set to again remind the player and Palace of their kit regulations.
Religious messages are prohibited on clothing, boots or other equipment under the FA’s rules.
But those rules allow “initiative slogans/emblems promoting the game of football, respect, and integrity.”
The rainbow-coloured captain’s armbands were part of the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign led by LGBT charity Stonewall to show support for people in the LGBT community, which has been running for more than a decade.
All 20 club captains were expected to wear rainbow armbands in the fixtures over the weekend and during this week’s mid-week games.
Only Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy, who is Muslim, refused to wear it, on religious grounds.
The FA said Morsy’s choice was a matter for the team to decide and that he faces no official repercussions.
Ipswich said it “is committed to being a fully inclusive club that welcomes everyone,” adding that it respects Morsy’s decision “due to his religious beliefs.”
Marc Guéhi explained that his Christian message “was just a message of truth and love and inclusivity to be honest.”
“I don’t think the message was harmful in any way. I believe 100% in the words that I wrote, even what I’ve just said now.”
“It’s a message of truth and love, and I hope people can understand that my faith is my faith, and I’ll stand by it for the rest of my life,” he said.
Even though Guéhi who was born in the Ivory Coast has not been punished, his father John, a church minister, criticised the FA for issuing a reminder.
He told the Daily Mail: “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.
“Marc said yes and did the right thing by wearing it, but people are having a go at him.”
“The FA are happy for the crowd to sing God Save The King when England plays, which mentions God and religion.”
“And they are happy to have the religious hymn Abide With Me during the FA Cup final, yet they have a go at my son for expressing his beliefs. Where is the sense in that? What has he done wrong?”
Palace manager Oliver Glasner said: “We respect every player and especially Marc. He is our captain.”
“Everyone knows he is a great guy, very humble, and I don’t think we should make it bigger than it is. In football we are all against discrimination and it’s a great campaign.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United scrapped plans to wear pride-themed warm-up jackets as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign after Muslim defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to participate, citing his religious beliefs.
English sports journalist Martin Samuel wrote in an opinion article for The Times: “Had Marc Guéhi tattooed his devotion on a forearm, even stencilled it on his forehead, the FA would not have done a thing about that.”
He pointed out instances of other Premier League players pushing the religious rules boundaries:
“Olivier Giroud had Psalm 23 etched onto his right arm, in Latin, during his time with Chelsea, without complaint. Fábio Silva, of Wolverhampton Wanderers, has an image of Jesus on his left arm, as does the Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Mykhailo Mudryk, another Chelsea player, is covered in religious tattoos, as is Roberto Firmino, formerly of Liverpool.”
“And none of that mattered. Nor should it. Nobody’s business.”
“Yet Guéhi, the Crystal Palace captain, first wrote his personal message, “I love Jesus”, on his rainbow armband displayed in the match against Newcastle United, and that, apparently, is very different.”
“How dare Guéhi deface our sanctioned slogan with his unsanctioned one? How dare he equate, maybe even pit, his love for the Saviour with our gay pride?”
Photo: Javier Garcia – Shutterstock.com
