(VOICE OF NAIJA)- The FA has refused to charge Crystal Palace defender, Marc Guehi for leaving a religious message on his captain’s armband worn in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
The FA said it would write to Guéhi and Palace to remind them that religious messages are prohibited
Recall Fifa and FA rules ban “any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images” on players’ equipment, including armbands.
The FA reacting said ‘it would write to Palace and Guéhi to remind the club and their captain that religious messages are prohibited.’ The issue was a potentially thorny one for the FA however as the rainbow armband itself was part of a campaign in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Ipswich Town said their captain Sam Morsy declined to wear a rainbow armband at the weekend due to his religious beliefs, but the FA said that is not a breach of their regulations.
Guéhi, the 24-year-old England centre back, had a hand-written message on his armband for the visit of Newcastle United, saying “I love Jesus”, with a love heart drawn instead of the word “love”.
FA Rules
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FA rules state: “For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by Fifa.”
The laws of the game were clarified last year to state that captains “must wear an armband which is simple and conforms to the requirements of Law 4 relating to slogans, statements, images and advertising”.
That Guéhi chose to write the religious slogan on an armband supporting LGBTQ+ issues could be seen as an aggravating factor.
Morsy, 33, was the only one of the 20 club captains in the Premier League at the weekend not to wear the rainbow armband. Morsy, a British-born midfielder who plays international football for Egypt, is a practising Muslim
The Premier League and its clubs promoted equality and diversity during the weekend fixtures as part of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, which is continuing for the top flight’s midweek fixtures. Guéhi and Morsy are due to be on opposite teams on Tuesday night when Palace travel to Ipswich.
Ipswich said in a statement they are “committed to being a fully inclusive club that welcomes everyone” and support the Rainbow Laces, but also respected Morsy’s decision.
“A range of further initiatives are planned around Tuesday’s home game with Crystal Palace, including a takeover of the stadium’s big screen in the moments prior to kick-off,” Ipswich said. “At the same time, we respect the decision of our captain Sam Morsy, who has chosen not to wear the rainbow captain’s armband due to his religious beliefs.”
Times News
