Two soccer players oppose Premier League and put religion before LGBT cause
Ipswich Town's Sam Morsy refused to wear the rainbow-colored armband, while Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi wrote "I love Jesus" on his.
Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace soccer player
The world's top soccer league has run into some unexpected opposition with its latest controversial initiative. Two Premier League players did not want to give the visibility to Rainbow Laces, an Agenda 2030 media campaign, that the league mandated teams promote on the last matchday.
Specifically, the captains of Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace, Sam Morsy and Marc Guehi, were the ones who, for religious reasons, opposed the initiative that, according to the Premier League, has the aim of "tackling discrimination and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of football."
On the final day, the captains of the 20 teams that make up the competition were required to wear LGBT colors on the captain's armband. However, Morsy refused.
The Ipswich Town captain, born in Wolverhampton, U.K., but of Egyptian origin, refused to wear the rainbow armband for religious reasons. He is a practicing Muslim. His team issued a statement informing that it respected his decision despite not being in agreement with it.
"Ipswich Town Football Club is committed to being a fully inclusive club that welcomes all. We proudly support the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign and support the LGBTQ+ community in promoting equality and acceptance," the team said in a statement reported by Spanish newspaper Marca.
Possible punishment for 'loving Jesus'
Different was the case with Guehi. The Crystal Palace captain did sport the LGBT colors on his ribbon. However, he hand-wrote "I love Jesus" on the multicolored stripes, claiming his faith and putting it before any social cause.
Simply for displaying his faith publicly, he could face a fine or ban, as the Football Association of England (FA) prohibits players from displaying "political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images."
Last season, when this same campaign already took place, Anel Ahmedhodzic, captain of Sheffield United, also refused to wear LGBT colors on his captain's band.
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