‘I don’t think the message was harmful in any way’
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi has said the religious message he wrote on his rainbow armband this week was one of “truth and love and inclusivity.”
On Tuesday, Guehi wrote ‘Jesus loves you’ on his armband for Palace’s match at Ipswich. This came after the 24-year-old wrote ‘I love Jesus’ on the armband for Palace’s match against Newcastle on Sunday.
The armbands have been worn by Premier League captains this week as part of the Premier League’s LGBTQ+ inclusion initiative, Rainbow Laces, in association with the charity Stonewall.
Now, the defender has said the words he wrote on the armband were “messages of truth and love and inclusivity.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Guehi said: “The message was just a message of truth and love and inclusivity to be honest.
“I don’t think the message was harmful in any way – that’s all I can really say about that to be honest.”
He added: “I believe 100% in the words that I wrote, even what I’ve just said now – it’s a message of truth and love, and I hope people can understand that my faith is my faith, and I’ll stand by it for the rest of my life.”
FA regulations prohibit the “appearance on, or incorporation in, any item of clothing, football boots or other equipment of any religious message”.
After the Newcastle match, Guehi was reminded of these rules, but still wrote a similar message on the armband three days later.
However, it is not thought the FA will formally charge the Englishman, with the association instead choosing to once again remind him of the rules.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner defended his player after the messages made headlines, saying Guehi is a “against discrimination and any kind of abuse.”
Ipswich captain Sam Morsy refused to wear the rainbow armband for both of his last two games because of his “religious beliefs.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United abandoned plans to wear rainbow-themed jackets before their game against Everton on Sunday after defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to take part.
