Marc Guehi and Crystal Palace will be formally reprimanded by the FA after the player wrote “I love Jesus” on his rainbow captain’s armband because of a ban on “religious and political images”. The Mail has more.
The player and club had faced a charge, with FIFA and FA rules banning “any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images” on players’ equipment, which includes armbands.
However, bosses at the FA have instead decided to remind Guehi and Palace of those regulations, rather than take further action.
Mail Sport also understands that Ipswich captain Sam Morsy will not be punished after refusing to wear the armband, part of a campaign supporting the LGBTQ+ community, because of his religious beliefs.
As his refusal was not a rule breach – unlike Guehi’s message – the matter is deemed to be one for the club, rather than governing bodies.
Morsy, 33, is a British-born midfielder who plays for Egypt and is a practising Muslim. He was the only one of 20 captains in the Premier League not to wear the armband.
A spokesperson for national LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall did not condemn the actions of either player.
He said: “It has been incredible to see so many football teams at all levels support our Rainbow Laces campaign to make sport safer and more inclusive for all. When we see clubs show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion, it helps people feel safe and welcome both on and off the pitch.
“It is up to individuals to choose if and how they show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.”
Guehi is a devout Christian and previously spoke about how his faith plays a major role in his career.
Speaking to the Athletic, he said: “I’ve grown up loving God and when I have had the chance I still go to church with my family, and my faith is definitely a big part of my life.
“Faith is everything that I’m involved with, really; even in football, where I’m trying to be a role model and show God’s graciousness and God’s glory through my life.”
Guehi comes from a religious household, with his father, John, being a church minister. In fact, his role with the church caused a scheduling drama during the Euros, after he took a service at a church in Lewisham on the day of England’s clash against Serbia.
Guehi admitted that “God comes first” and that he expected his father to be at the service rather than his match.
Guehi admitted: “Usually God comes first. I’d expect him to be at church but he could turn up, I don’t know. I’ll have to message him later to ask.”
First launched in 2013, the Rainbow Laces campaign sees clubs use rainbow corner flags, while captains wear rainbow armbands as well as laces. The occasion was almost universally observed, save for the Ipswich skipper.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Guehi risks a ban after doubling down by writing the words “Jesus loves You” on his armband for Tuesday’s match against Ipswich Town. His church minister father has accused the FA of double standards, telling the Mail:
The FA is happy for the crowd to sing God Save The King when England plays, which mentions God and religion. And it is happy to have the religious hymn Abide With Me during the cup final. And yet it has a go at my son for expressing his beliefs. Where is the sense in that? What exactly has he done wrong?
This country is a Christian country, and we are reminded of that when we go into public buildings that have the royal coat of arms which has the words Dieu et mon droit [God and my right]. I back my son for what he did. He’s my son and, of course, I stand with him. I don’t see anything wrong in the message that was on his armband, do you? I haven’t had a chance to speak with him yet about it.
I am a church minister and a devout Christian, and so is Marc. He didn’t refuse to wear the rainbow armband, so where is the problem? Morsy refused to wear the armband, but my son didn’t, he wore it.
He added that his son had been trying to convey a message of: “You gave me the armband. As a Christian, I don’t believe in your cause, but I will put it on.”
Stop Press 2: In the Times, Martin Samuel points out that the Rainbow Laces campaign likes to think it’s all about ‘inclusion’. Why, then, are its supporters so intend on singling out and ostracising those who disagree with it?
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I applaud Marc Guehi and Sam Morsy for standing up for their beliefs. The FA have no business pushing Stonewall politics and need to seriously re-think their behaviour. I for one do not want to see Alphabet nonsense shoved in my face at a football match.
Wokery must die.
Yes just stick to sport and stop fuc*ing preaching, pardon the pun!
Thanks Freddy.
Yes, I agree. I’m not understanding why I keep reading that ”Woke is dead”, and similar, but the evidence which contradicts this abounds. It’s everywhere! It’s going precisely nowhere because it’s communism, which will also never go anywhere. These people are with us for the long-haul.
An example of yet another man impostor usurping females to win an award in a women’s contest. I’m not against trans people, I just think they should have their own categories instead of infiltrating women’s all over the place. Also, this person is American so why they’re even eligible to take part in a British competition is a mystery to me. Actually their voice sounds just like a woman to me but usually the feet and hands are a giveaway, but he transed when he was 12yrs, apparently;
”Trans woman Alex Consani is crowned Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards – beating five biological females who were also shortlisted.
Is this fair?”
https://x.com/Suffragent_/status/1863924647592346107
The rainbow armband is a political statement.
Yes. ridiculous irony
And a religious one, putting freedom of choice as the highest value, above any attempt to discern the will of God.
Nice!, I haven’t seen this observation before but yes “choice” as highest value
with that in place we must allow choice to kill oneself, choice to kill one’s unborn baby, choice to force objects up one’s bum. Oh yeah and choice to cut off one’s genitals
“support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport” This means men playing against girls and using their changing rooms. It is not to be encouraged.
Well well, it didn’t take them long, at least the comments are not falling for the Kool Aid
Government buys millions of doses of new vaccine amid pandemic fears
This agenda isn’t underpinned by conviction it is underpinned by fear indueced by the influence of big money this is obvious. The lackeys get scared to rock the boat. Keep your nose down and your mouth shut. ‘Anything for a quiet life. I’ve got a family to think about.’ It is pretty squalid but it is as normal as it is possible to be. What was the proportion that refused to take the poison death shot? It was a small proportion in every case of every mandate. And that is literally a case of letting yourself be raped or violated. Stick it in me. I will be whatever you want me to be.
Good man!
The force they fear. That’s what they called it among the early Christians who seemed to have a certain protective magic about them. The force is still there if you can summon it.
I noticed that while Leicester had the pervert corner flags Ipswich did not. Good for them.
Guehi has defied the reprimand and ‘reminder’ tonight by writing “Jesus loves you” on his rainbow captain’s armband in the game against Ipswich (which Crystal Palace won). What will the FA do now? If they punish Guehi or Palace, it will highlight the stupidity and hypocrisy of promoting the message of the ‘born in the wrong body’ religion while banning all other religious messages.
There is a huge difference between
1) including people in football and them being safe (quoting the stonewall spokesperson)
2) everything that flag represents
yes and then having to display it on their arm. What would’ve happened to a Football player who refused to take the knee in 2020 exercising his own discretion. He would’ve been hounded off the pitch by the “be kind” brigade. We know what happened to the guy with the All Lives Matter flag.
The FA are so ironically dumb
, Guehi wrote on their very own selective word salad armband ! He’s saying Love Everyone 
But isn’t taking the knee a political message?
I am really confused.
Is the rainbow armband not a “political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images”, which the FA is supposed to ban?
Yes. Confusion solved!
It would seem the fools that call themselves the FA are allowed to make political statements by forcing their players to wear an armband but they (the players) are not allowed to make a political statement in return. The hypocrisy is startling. Best thing to do surely is to ban all political statements at football matches.
Surely the armband colours are a “political” statement? The Irony!
Time to fight back now … Football players should take all the rainbow armbands, pile them up in the center spot at Wembly .. and set fire to them. Tell the FA (and Jaguar Cars) that we do not support this communist ‘Line of Effort’ (e.g. chopping up and mutilating our children), which is one of many being forced on us which are designed to undermine, de-moralise, and destroy society.