Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi, despite being warned by the Football Association (FA), has been pictured wearing a message on his Rainbow captain’s armband in Oliver Glasner’s side’s Tuesday night Premier League meeting with Ipswich Town.
In solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, all 20 Premier League captains were asked to don the trademark rainbow-coloured armbands between November 29 and December 5 – an idea inspired by Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, which aims to improve LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
First launched over 10 years ago, clubs across the nation have rallied together as a show of unity, displaying Rainbow corner flags and captains donning Rainbow armbands, alongside the signature laces.
The England international, who is a devout Christian, added the words “I love Jesus” on his armband during the Eagles’ 1-1 draw with Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.
After displaying his first religious message on the weekend, the FA were prompted to get in contact with Guehi and his Premier League employers as a way of reminding them of the set-in-stone rules in order to avoid a similar incident taking place again.
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Guehi has avoided a potential ban that has been handed out after similar rule breaches in the past
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), 'initiative slogans/emblems promoting the game of football, respect and integrity' are allowed. The use of 'political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images' is, however, forbidden. Law 4 further states:
"For any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA."
As reported by Sky after Guehi’s first well-documented incident, the governing body opted to remind the club and their captain of the regulations but ultimately decided against issuing any form of punishment or disciplinary proceedings.
Guehi, 24, has chosen to double down and bore another message on his rainbow armband for the second game running, with him taking to the Portman Road field on Tuesday night with a message meaning ‘Jesus loves you’, accompanied by a smiley face, on his armband.
Ipswich Town skipper Sam Morsy caused controversy in his side’s top flight fixture with Nottingham Forest on the weekend after refusing to wear a Rainbow armband, citing religious reasons. Instead, the Egypt international wore a regular armband.