Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has responded after his players did not wear LGBTQ+ jackets following Noussair Mazraoui’s ‘refusal’ to take part.
Premier League clubs showed their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport between November 29 and December as they participated in charity Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign.
However, there has been controversy as Ipswich Town midfielder Sam Morsy refused to wear the armband, while England international Marc Guehi risked a suspension by writing ‘I love Jesus’ on his.
Unlike Morsy, Man Utd pair Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire wore the rainbow armband but plans to show support in other ways were ‘abandoned’.
The Red Devils squad have previously worn themed gear in support of the LGBTQ+ community. They had intended to do so against Everton but The Athletic revealed that idea was scrapped just ‘hours before the game’ after Noussair Mazraoui ‘refused’ to take part.
It is noted that the Morocco international ‘was not prepared to wear the outfit, citing his Muslim faith as the reason’. Therefore, his teammates decided that no player would wear them so Mazraoui would not be ‘the only one seen publicly to be refusing to wear it’.
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A Man Utd statement read: “Man Utd 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.”
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Commenting on this situation, Amorim confirmed that it was a “group decision” and there were “three difficult things to manage”.
“It was a group decision as players, as it should be,” Amorim said.
“There are three difficult things to manage. On one side it’s club values and I think all can agree that it’s not an issue but then you have religion, which you have to respect.
“It’s our values to respect other opinions. And then the third thing is the group thing. I won’t leave Nous [Mazraoui] 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. It’s a hard issue to address. I think we did it in a good way. This club represents… we need to respect everything but we also respect the religion of Nous and his culture.”
