Footballer Marc Guehi has broken his silence with a five-word Instagram story update after courting controversy for writing a Christian message on his LGBTQ+-inclusive rainbow captain’s armband.
The 24-year-old Crystal Palace and England defender wrote “I Love Jesus” on his armband ahead of his side’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Saturday (30 November).
Despite being warned by the FA that the message breaches the sporting body’s rule on not displaying religious symbols, Guehi – who is the son of a minister and has spoken openly about his Christian faith – subsequently wrote “Jesus [heart symbol] You” on his armband for Crystal Palace’s Tuesday (2 December) match against Ipswich Town.
The rainbow coloured armbands were given to all Premier League clubs as part of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, which seeks to tackle anti-LGBTQ+ hate in sport and has been shown to have improved the attitudes of sports fans towards the LGBTQ+ community. The campaign runs from 29 November to 5 December.
FA policy allows initiatives and slogans that promote football, respect and integrity, but not “political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images”.
The policy says that “for any offence, the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by [world governing body] FIFA”.
According to ESPN, Geuhi’s decision to write the Christian message on an armband promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion could be viewed as an ‘aggravating factor’ in any punishment issued by the sporting body.
During the same weekend Guehi wrote “I Love Jesus” for the Crystal Palace-Newcastle game, Ipswich Town captain and Egyptian national Sam Morsy chose not to wear the rainbow armband because of his religious beliefs.
Despite not commenting on his decision to write the phrases publicly, Guehi took to Instagram on Tuesday evening, writing on his story: “Jesus [loves] you. Stay blessed”.
In response to the media storm around Guehi, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said the club will continue to “respect” him.
He said, as quoted by the Mirror: “We respect every single player, especially Marc, who is our captain. He is a great guy, very humble and we shouldn’t make it bigger than it is, he is very respectful to everyone in the club.
“In football we are all against discrimination, it’s a great campaign. We spoke about it, we speak often as he is my captain.”
Issuing a statement following the various media coverage, a spokesperson for campaign group Football vs Homophobia said: “Captains who choose to wear rainbow armbands send a strong message of allyship towards LGBTQ+ communities everywhere, not least those associated with their club or team.