Manchester United scrapped plans to wear pride-themed warm-up jackets as part of the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign after defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to participate, citing his religious beliefs, according to The Athletic.
Rainbow Devils, Manchester United’s official LGBTQ+ supporters club, expressed their “great disappointment” after plans to wear the specially designed Adidas jackets before the match against Everton on Sunday were abandoned at the last moment.
The Rainbow Devils had worked with United on a number of projects around inclusivity and the support of the LGBTQ+ community in the lead up to the club’s official Rainbow Laces game at Old Trafford, but the group said they were informed that the jackets would not be worn because “one of the squad refused”.
The Athletic reported that Mazraoui, who is Muslim, declined to wear the warm-up tracksuit due to his faith and the rest of the United squad decided that no one would wear the jacket so the Morocco international would not be the only member of the team seen without it. The Athletic’s report said some United players were not happy with the decision.
However, United said Mazraoui or any other player is entitled to their opinion as the club reaffirmed their committment to the Rainbow Laces camapaign. A club statement said: “Manchester United welcomes fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and we are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.
“We demonstrate these principles through a range of activities, including support for our Rainbow Devils supporters’ club, and campaigns to celebrate our LGBTQ+ fans and combat all forms of discrimination.
“Players are entitled to hold their own individual opinions, particularly in relation to their faith, and these may sometimes differ from the club’s position.”
United have worn specially designed warm-up jackets, featuring rainbow concepts, in each of the previous two seasons. Mazraoui, who joined the club from Bayern Munich in the summer, had previously faced criticism while playing in Germany after appearing to support Morocco team-mate Zakaria Aboukhlal when he refused to participate in Ligue 1’s rainbow campaign while at Toulouse.
The reporting of Mazraoui’s decision comes as Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi risked disciplinary sanctions by writing “Jesus loves you” on his rainbow-coloured armband during the game against Ipswich on Tuesday night.
Guehi had written “I love Jesus” on his armband in the game against Newcastle three days before, prompting the Football Association to write to the England international reminding him of their rules surrounding “political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images”. Guehi will not face formal action, however.
Meanwhile, Ipswich Town have also explained that captain Sam Morsy, who is Muslim, has chosen not to wear the rainbow armband for religious reasons. The FA did not get involved at all in the case.
United played Arsenal on Wednesday night, with Mazraoui set to feature in the match at the Emirates Stadium. The match will be Arsenal’s official Rainbow Laces match, in the second of two Premier League gameweeks supporting the campaign.
After working with United around the Rainbow Laces campaign, the Rainbow Devils were suprised that the jackets were not worn before the Everton match. Adidas, who sponsor United, were also expecting the tracksuits to be worn after being involved in the design process
A statement from The Rainbow Devils said: “The players were due to wear specially designed jackets pre-match [against Everton] to mark the occasion. Shortly before the game, Rainbow Devils was informed that these jackets would not be worn.
“The reason being that one of the matchday squad had refused to wear the jacket on the grounds of their personally held beliefs. Therefore, to maintain the team ethos and togetherness, none of the players would be wearing them.
“This was obviously a great disappointment to Rainbow Devils, but also to all those who had worked hard at the club to deliver this event.
“We respect the right of this player to have his own views, whilst also feeling disappointed that he put the rest of the squad into a position where they felt that they couldn’t wear their jackets. We also worry what kind of negative effect this incident might have on any player at the club who may be struggling with their sexuality.
“Rainbow Devils will continue to work with Manchester United to support inclusivity, through the One Love initiative and others, as we all continue our work to ensure all LGBTQ+ people feel safe and welcome at Old Trafford, both on and off the pitch.”
