Marc Guehi, the captain of Crystal Palace, will not face any disciplinary action after disregarding the Football Association’s (FA) reminder about wearing a rainbow armband with a religious message. Guehi, 24, who is a committed Christian, had written “I love Jesus” on his armband during Saturday’s match against Newcastle. This prompted the FA to remind him and the club of the rules banning religious messages on players’ clothing and equipment. However, Guehi again wore an armband with the message “Jesus loves you” during Palace’s Tuesday match against Ipswich Town.
The FA has decided not to take formal action but will again remind both Guehi and the club of the FA’s regulations concerning kit. These rules prohibit religious expressions on football attire, including boots and other gear. With the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign—aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community—drawing to a close after this gameweek, Guehi will no longer be required to wear the armband for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, the FA did not intervene in a similar situation involving Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy, who has also opted for a standard armband in line with his religious beliefs, showing a possible discrepancy in how these situations are handled.
Despite the lack of any formal punishment for Guehi, his father, John, a church minister, expressed frustration over the FA’s reminder. He defended his son’s actions, arguing that Guehi’s message had not caused offense. He also highlighted what he saw as a contradiction in the FA’s approach, pointing out that religious elements like the mention of God in England’s national anthem and the hymn “Abide With Me” during the FA Cup final are widely accepted in football. He questioned why his son’s personal faith expression was being scrutinized.
In a separate incident, Manchester United abandoned plans to wear rainbow-themed warm-up jackets as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign after defender Noussair Mazraoui, citing his religious beliefs, refused to participate. The decision disappointed Manchester United’s LGBTQ+ supporters’ group, Rainbow Devils, who had been advocating for the inclusion of the jackets ahead of the team’s Sunday match against Everton.
