Manchester United shelved plans to wear pride-themed rainbow jackets supporting the LGBTQ+ community after a player refused to take part, citing his religious beliefs.
Plans to wear the Adidas tops as they walked onto the pitch during last Sunday’s Premier League match against Everton were abandoned after defender Noussair Mazraoui said he would not be able to wear the jacket on the grounds of his Muslim faith, according to The Athletic.
United players have previously worn the jackets during warm up sessions before matches in support of the Rainbow Laces campaign.
However, Mazraoui declined to wear the jacket and to “maintain the team ethos and togetherness” the rest of the team decided not to wear the jacket so the Morocco international would not be singled out. The Athletic’s report said some United players were unhappy with the decision.
The club declined to confirm the identity of the player, while Rainbow Devils – the club’s LGBTQ+ supporters’ club – said it did not want to name him despite a feeling of “great disappointment”.
In a statement the club said it welcomed fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.
However, 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 win against Everton, while several players from the men’s and women’s teams took part in video content supporting the campaign.
Rainbow Devils said it has received “great support” from United and the fan engagement team around the Rainbow Laces campaign but expressed its disappointment about Mazraoui’s decision not to wear the jacket.
“We are aware of who the player concerned is, but we feel it isn’t our role to single him out, and risk spoiling all the other positive things that the majority of those at the club have done,” the supporters’ group said in a statement.
It added: “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.”
There have been other issues around participation during this year’s Rainbow Laces campaign. Ipswich captain Sam Morsy chose not to wear a rainbow armband in the two matches covered by the initiative owing to his religious beliefs.
The Football Association did not get involved in that case and is not taking action against Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guéhi after he twice wore an adapted rainbow armband.
The England international and the club had been reminded of FA kit regulations after he wore an armband saying ‘I love Jesus’ in Saturday’s match against Newcastle. Guéhi then wore one stating ‘Jesus loves you’ against Ipswich on Tuesday night.
