Manchester United players decided not to wear a jacket in support of the LGBTQ+ community before the game against Everton after Noussair Mazraoui objected to it.
The Moroccan defender said that, due to his religious beliefs, he was not going to wear said jacket, which the sports brand Adidas has framed within the ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign with which the Premier League aims to visualize the inclusion and equality of the LGBTQ+ community.
This initiative began in 2013 and this year has led to several controversies, after Sam Morsy, captain of Ipswich Town, decided to stand out from the rest of the captains and not wear the rainbow armband, and Marc Guehi, captain of Crystal Palace , will risk a sanction from the English federation (FA) for writing “I love Jesus” on said bracelet.
According to “The Athletic”, the rest of Mazaraoui’s teammates decided not to wear the jacket, although several of them did not agree with this.
Adidas “disappointed” with this decision of the players
The same source also cites that Manchester United has an agreement of more than 1,000 million euros over ten years with Adidas and that the sports firm is “disappointed” with the players’ decision not to support the initiative by wearing this garment.
“Manchester United welcomes all fans, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and we are very committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion. We demonstrate these principles through different activities. Players have the right to give their opinions. own opinions, especially regarding their faith, and these can sometimes be different from those of the club,” United said in a statement.
Mazraoui, then at Bayern Munich, already showed his support in 2023 for Zakaria Abuokhlal after this Toulouse player refused to participate in a similar initiative in France.
