UK Football Association reprimands athlete for Christian message on Pride armband
England’s Football Association (FA), the country’s governing authority for soccer, reprimanded a player for writing a Christian message on his standard-issue Pride armband on Saturday.
Each of the 20 team captains in the UK’s Premier League are required to wear rainbow armbands from November 29th to December 5th as part of a campaign to show support for LGBTQ orthodoxy. Marc Guehi, a captain for the Crystal Palace team and a devout Christian, wrote “I love Jesus” on the mandatory armband.
In response, the FA slapped Guehi with an official reprimand. According to the Daily Mail, Guehi violated the FA’s rule that prohibits “any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images” on athletic equipment — though this does not extend to LGBTQ propaganda.
Nevertheless, before the following game on Tuesday, Guehi wrote “Jesus loves you” on his armband. It is unclear whether the FA will pursue disciplinary action for this new "infraction."
No reprimand for Muslim player
There was no reprimand for Sam Morsy, however, who captains the Ipswich Town team and refuses to wear the armband because he is a practicing Muslim. Ipswich Town Football Club issued a statement supporting “the decision of our captain Sam Morsy, who has chosen not to wear the rainbow captain's armband, due to his religious beliefs.”
LGBTQ is ‘trying to impose on others’
Guehi’s father John, a church minister, took offense at his son’s reprimand, especially as it contrasted with the FA’s lack of response to Morsy.
“I am saying did he offend anyone? I don't think so,” he said. “I do believe in what the Bible says, Jesus loves everyone, and, in my opinion, Marc did not offend anyone with what he wrote. Jesus loved everyone therefore by saying ‘I love Jesus’ on his armband I really don't see what is offensive and what the problem is.
“If you look at what the LGBT community are doing, they are trying to impose on others what they believe in, it's belief against belief, but at the end of the day everyone has the right to an opinion. But if that opinion's aim is to offend you then there is a problem but if my opinion is just to express what I feel then I think that is fine and I don't think what Marc wrote on that armband is offensive.
“He is talking about him, he loves Jesus and like I said he didn't refuse to wear that armband, like Morsy, people should pay more attention to the person who refused to wear it.”
