2 weeks ago
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RUBEN AMORIM has lifted the lid on the decision of Manchester United players to not wear rainbow-themed jackets.
Red Devils stars had been due to wear the jackets in conjunction with the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign in support of the LGBTQ+ community ahead of their 3-0 win over Everton.
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RexHowever, the team decided not to wear them after Noussair Mazraoui – who is a devout Muslim – refused to, citing religious beliefs.
Now a week on, manager Amorim has spoken about the three key factors which played a part in the decision and insisted there is “no doubt” of the club values.
He said: “It was a group decision as players, as it should be. There’s three difficult things to manage.
“On one side, it’s club values. There’s no doubt what this club believes and fights for.
“Then you have religion, which you have to respect. It’s our values to respect other opinions.
“And the third thing is the group thing. ‘I won’t leave Nous alone, we’re a team’. The majority of the players believe in one thing, but they saw one guy alone and said let’s be together.
‘”It’s three things we have to manage and respect, and it’s a hard issue to address. I think we did it in a good way.
“We need to respect everything but we also to respect the religion of Nous and his culture.”
Asked about it being a potential problem in the future, he said: “I don’t know if Nous is going to change his religion and his beliefs.
“We will address at the time if it comes, but it’s a really hard decision.”
A Man Utd statement in the week said the club “welcomes fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community… We are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion”.
It added: “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.”
However, the club’s LGBTQ+ fan group, Rainbow Devils, said they were “disappointed” by the decision.
A statement said: “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 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.
“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.”
Captain Bruno Fernandes continued to wear the rainbow armband, doing so against Everton and the midweek defeat to Arsenal.
Ipswich and Crystal Palace captains Sam Morsy and Marc Guehi also sparked controversy last weekend from the campaign.
Morsy, like Mazraoui, cited his religious beliefs after twice refusing to wear a rainbow-coloured armband.
Ipswich said they “respect the decision” but were “committed to being a fully inclusive club”.
Meanwhile, Guehi – a devout Christian – did not refuse to wear the rainbow armband but twice wrote religious messaging on it, again citing religious beliefs.
The FA spoke to Guehi and his club to remind them about the use of religious messaging but did not go any further.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the act, Guehi explained: “I think the message was pretty clear to be honest.
“It’s a message of love and truth as well and a message of inclusivity, so it speaks for itself.”
FA have disappeared down a rabbit hole again with absurd double standards
By Dave Kidd
Cast your mind back two years to the World Cup in Qatar.
There, the FA and Harry Kane insisted that the England skipper would wear a rainbow armband in support of the LGBTQ+ community, after FIFA had awarded hosting rights to a nation which criminalises homosexuality.
Six other western European nations were going to take the same stand.
Until the point when FIFA insisted that those captains making this “political” gesture would be booked.
Until the point where that gesture might have some sporting consequence – and therefore a more substantial meaning.
At that point, the FA and their six allies all performed a late U-turn. They bottled it.
That’s the thing with English football and its “support” for the LGBTQ+ community.
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