General view of a message written on the armband of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi before the match REUTERS/Tony O Brien
General view of a message written on the armband of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi before the match REUTERS/Tony O Brien
Lawrence Ostlere
©UK Independent
Today at 00:26
Marc Guehi has ignored a formal reminder from the Football Association by again wearing a rainbow captain’s armband with a religious message written on it.
Rainbow-coloured captain armbands were issued to the 20 clubs for matches last weekend and the upcoming midweek round in a show of support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Guehi, a devout Christian, wore the armband against Newcastle with the added handwritten words of “I love Jesus”, while Ipswich captain Sam Morsy, a practising Muslim, chose not to wear the armband due to his religious beliefs.
While the FA deem Morsy’s decision a club matter, both Guehi and Palace were contacted this week reminding them that religious messaging is banned from equipment used or worn in Premier League matches under Rule A4 of the governing body's regulations.
Rule A4 in full states: "The appearance on, or incorporation in, any item of clothing, football boots or other equipment of any distasteful, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting, discriminatory or otherwise ethically or morally offensive message, or any political or religious message, is prohibited. The advertising of tobacco products is prohibited."
Guehi was back in action for Palace on Tuesday night and has repeated the act despite contact from the FA. Against Ipswich, Guehi’s armband read: “Jesus [heart emoji] You.”
Morsy, the Ipswich skipper, again opted against wearing the armband.