The FA have opted not to take action against Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi after the defender once again displayed a religious message on his armband during a match.
Guehi, an England international, was reminded of the FA’s regulations on religious messaging following Saturday’s game against Newcastle United.
The defender wrote “I love Jesus” on his rainbow captain’s armband at Selhurst Park.
Despite the reminder, Guehi displayed a similar message, “Jesus loves you,” on his armband during Tuesday night’s victory over Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The rainbow armbands are part of the Premier League’s LGBTQ+ inclusion campaign, encouraging but not mandating team captains to wear them as a show of support.
FA rules prohibit any religious messages appearing on clothing, boots, or equipment.
🚨🚨| JUST IN: The FA has once AGAIN decided NOT to take any formal action against Marc Guehi for the religious message on his rainbow-colored captain’s armband during yesterday’s game against Ipswich Town.
This time he wrote ‘Jesus Loves You’
[@martynziegler] pic.twitter.com/UF0hZv5HfR
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) December 4, 2024
However, while the FA has reiterated these regulations to Crystal Palace, there will not be any formal action against Guehi or the club.
Meanwhile, Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy also opted not to wear the rainbow armband during his team’s matches against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
The club explained that Morsy’s decision stemmed from his “religious beliefs”, despite the midfielder having sported betting sponsors on the front of shirts at previous clubs, including Middlesbrough.
The actions from Guehi and Morsy have kicked up a storm on social media, with some fans feeling it should be the player’s right to wear or display what they want as an individual.
But for those LGBTGQ+ communities, particularly within Crystal Palace and Ipswich, it has been taken as a mark of disrespect and protest.
