New Delhi: Following the recent incidents involving Sam Morsy and Marc Guehi, the captains Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace, showcasing their opinions regarding the Rainbow Laces campaign, Manchester United become the latest club to be involved in this controversy. The club’s players have abandoned plans of wearing an Adidas jacket in support of the LGBTQ+ community ahead of their clash with Everton on account of defender Noussair Mazraoui refusing to join the initiative.
Manchester United have historically been a club that have generally always supported the Rainbow Laces campaign. In the last two seasons, when Premier League clubs are asked to wear rainbow coloured armbands and laces, Manchester United have worn a pride themed jersey during warm ups and have also been sporting a similar jacket to walk out during the games in this period. This year, to show their support towards the LGBTQ+ community, United were planning to wear the walk out jacket ahead of this past Sunday’s game against Everton.
🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Manchester United players ABANDONED the club’s plans to wear an Adidas jacket in support of LGBTQ+ on Sunday against Everton after Noussair Mazraoui REFUSED to join the initiative. 🏳️🌈❌
(Source: @TheAthleticFC) pic.twitter.com/4YfRAKW3lD
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 4, 2024
However, summer signing Noussair Mazraoui conveyed to his teammates that he wasn’t prepared to sport the jacket citing his religious beliefs as the reason. The players decided that none of them would wear the jacket so that Mazraoui, a practicing Muslim, won’t be seen as the only one not wearing the jacket. According to The Athletic, the decision was taken mere hours before the Everton clash and not everyone in the Manchester United dressing room was happy with the decision.
Manchester United’s vocal support of the LGBTQ+ community
In recent years, the club have made huge efforts in attempting to make the club a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ community. The club set up the Rainbow Devils supporters group in 2019, the official supporters group of the club for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The club even published an extended video of defenders Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire, where they were seen interacting with a group of Rainbow Devils and speaking to them about the club’s drive towards inclusivity.
Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes also stressed on the need for supporters to feel included and respected while speaking to the club’s website. He even said that wearing the rainbow-coloured armband is a sign of respect for him and a way of making sure the LGBTQ+ fans feel supported by the players of the club they cheer for and support. United’s biggest sponsor, Adidas also joined the initiative with the club by producing the tracksuit jacket for the club.
Proud to support the @PremierLeague‘s #RainbowLaces campaign ❤️🏳️🌈#MUFC || #PL pic.twitter.com/x2R4DzxdG3
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 1, 2024
While not authorized to speak publicly, a source with knowledge of the information told The Athletic, that Adidas, whose sponsorship with the club is worth £900million over a 10-year period, are disappointed with the decision of the players to not wear the jacket. The disappointment is said to have stemmed from the fact the players have previously supported the the initiative but the German sportswear giant refused to comment on the matter when approached by the publication.
After the news of Manchester United abandoning the plans, a statement from one of the fans of the Rainbow Devils group said that even though they respect the player’s right to have his own views on the matter but also feel disappointed over the fact that he put the rest of the players in such a position that they couldn’t show their support. The statement also read, “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.”
Not Noussair Mazraoui first time facing controversy
This isn’t the first time that the Moroccan finds himself at the center of such a controversy as he received criticism earlier as well while playing for Bayern Munich. In May 2023, Mazraoui came out in support of international teammate Zakaria Aboukhlal, who refused to take part in the French Ligue 1’s rainbow campaign while plying his trade for Ligue 1 club Toulouse FC.
Fans of Bayern Munich, the team Mazraoui was playing for at the time, lifted a banner that criticized the player’s position on such a delicate subject. The Banner read, “All colours are beautiful. In Toulouse, Munich and everywhere. Respect our values Mazraoui!” The Moroccan became the third player after Sam Morsy, a fellow practicing Muslim and Marc Guehi, a devout Christian, who have voiced their religious beliefs against the Rainbow Laces campaign.
In another incident of players voicing their opinions over the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign, Manchester United scrapped plans to wear pro-LGBTQ+ jackets after a player’s refusal. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
