The specialist site The Athletic reveals a new case linked to the campaign to combat LGBTQ+ discrimination set up in recent days in the Premier League. The Manchester United team thus refused to wear a rainbow-colored jacket specially developed by the equipment manufacturer in support of Noussair Mazraoui. The Moroccan international would have, in fact, asked not to appear with this outfit on Sunday against Everton.
In order not to make light of the player, his teammates decided to abandon the initiative. The Manchester United club reacted to the newspaper’s revelations. He said he regretted this position but without condemning it. “Players are entitled to their own opinions, particularly regarding their faith, and these may sometimes differ from the club’s position.” The media also gives the floor to an Adidas executive, disappointed by this choice when a jacket of the same type and even a match jersey had been distributed in the locker room over the last two seasons.
Marks of distrust accumulate in the Premier League
This affair is reminiscent of the controversies of recent years in Ligue 1 or during the 2022 World Cup. Some players believe that their religious beliefs go against these campaigns. They consider that they are being forced to “support” sexual orientations while the authorities point out that this is simply a call to fight against the discrimination suffered by a particular community. In the same way as awareness-raising operations in the fight against racism.
The Ipswich club has in any case adopted the same posture as Manchester United with its Egyptian captain Sam Morsy. The latter refused on Saturday to wear the rainbow armband as part of the “Rainbow Laces” campaign set up by the Premier League. In the same vein, Crystal Palace player Marc Guéhi, also an English international (22 caps), has distanced himself from the operation. In pen, he added the words “I love Jesus” last weekend, then “Jesus loves you” Tuesday evening. The FA plans to sanction this message of a religious nature, in accordance with its regulations.
Marc Guéhi’s father defended his son in the Daily Mail. According to him, it was only a matter of “balancing” the message. He also denounces a double standard with the Morsy affair.
