Manchester United dropped plans to wear LGBTQ+ rainbow jackets after Noussair Mazraoui declined to participate.
Click here for more football news and updates.
Check out M88 Mansion’s best offers here.
Mazraoui refused to wear LGBTQ+ jacket
The Premier League supported Stonewall’s rainbow laces campaign by having the entire league wear rainbow jackets in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
United players have previously worn the jackets during warm up sessions before matches in support of the Rainbow Laces campaign.
However, Noussair refused to participate due to his Muslim faith, according to The Athletic.
Consequently, the rest of United refrained from wearing the jackets to “maintain team ethos and togetherness.”
The club said: “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 captain Bruno Fernandes wore the rainbow armband in Sunday’s 4-0 win against Everton.
Meanwhile, several players from the men’s and women’s teams took part in video content supporting the campaign.
Rainbow Devils express disappointment
Meanwhile, the Rainbow Devils, United’s official LGBTQ+ supporters club, expressed disappointment that the team did not wear the jackets.
“Shortly before the game, Rainbow Devils were 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.”
Elsewhere, there have been other issues around participation during this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign.
Ipswich captain Sam Morsy also did not wear a rainbow armband, covered by the initiative owing to his religious beliefs.
