Manchester United players abandoned the club’s plans to wear an Adidas jacket in support of the LGBTQ+ community ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Everton after defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to join the initiative.
During the Rainbow Laces period in the past two seasons, when Premier League teams are asked to support the LGBTQ+ community, United’s players have worn a pride-themed jersey to warm up ahead of games, as well as a similar concept jacket to walk out for the game.
This year, United were only planning a walk-out jacket but Morocco international Mazraoui, a £15m summer signing from Bayern Munich, told his team-mates he was not prepared to wear the outfit, citing his Muslim faith as the reason. The team then decided that no players would wear the tracksuit so that Mazraoui would not be the only one seen publicly to be refusing to wear it. The decision was taken a matter of hours before the game on Sunday.
The Athletic has been told that not everyone in the dressing room was happy with this decision.
In recent years, United have made significant strides in attempting to make the club a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ staff and supporters.
Fernandes wore a rainbow armband in the game against Everton (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The Rainbow Devils supporters’ group was established in 2019 and during the current period of Rainbow Laces, where the Premier League asks its clubs to show allyship to the community, United published an extended video on their website in which defenders Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire spoke to a group of Rainbow Devils fans about the club’s drive for inclusivity, while captain Bruno Fernandes also spoke to the club’s website, stressing the need for supporters to feel included and respected.
He described wearing his rainbow-coloured captain’s armband as “a sign of respect” and to make LGBTQ+ fans “feel supported” by the players.
However, United had also worked with the club’s biggest sponsor and shirt manufacturer Adidas to produce a tracksuit jacket for the players to wear to mark the campaign while walking out for the game against Everton as they have done previously in recent years but in the hours before the match, the plan was scrapped.
United’s sponsorship with Adidas is worth £900million ($1.1bn) over a 10-year period.
A source with knowledge of the matter, not authorised to speak publicly, indicated the German sportswear giant is disappointed by the development after United’s players previously supported the initiative by wearing a pride-themed jersey to warm up and jacket to walk out in during previous years. Adidas declined to comment when approached by The Athletic.
Marcus Rashford has previously worn the walk-out jacket (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
United’s charitable arm, the Manchester United Foundation, also organised an event with over 50 young people from their partner high schools “to celebrate LGBTQ+ representation in sport” last week in a special event at The Cliff Training Ground as part of the club’s outreach to the local community.
A United statement to The Athletic read: “Manchester United welcomes fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and we are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.
“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.”
Following The Athletic’s story, a Rainbow Devils statement later 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.
“Rainbow Devils will continue to work with Manchester United to support inclusivity, through the One Love initiative and others, as we all continue our work to ensure all LGBTQ+ people feel safe and welcome at Old Trafford, both on and off the pitch.”
Mazraoui previously received criticism for his apparent position on displays of LGBTQ+ support while playing in Germany. In May 2023, Bayern fans lifted a banner that read: “All colours are beautiful. In Toulouse, Munich and everywhere. Respect our values Mazraoui!”
This came after Mazraoui showed support on Instagram to Morocco team-mate Zakaria Aboukhlal who had refused to take part in France’s Ligue 1’s rainbow campaign while playing for Toulouse.
Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy, also a practising Muslim, refused to wear a rainbow armband for religious reasons in his club’s two Rainbow Laces fixtures while Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi was reminded by the Football Association of football’s rules on playing equipment after writing a religious message on his.
(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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