A Premier League player raised a formal complaint with club officials after appearing on the front cover of a matchday programme during the Rainbow Laces period for two consecutive seasons, expressing concern that the presentation implied he was gay.
According to The Athletic, the objection was not rooted in opposition to equality initiatives but centred on personal representation and perceived messaging.
The episode has emerged as English football prepares to roll out a revised inclusion initiative under the banner With Pride, scheduled to run from February 6 to February 13.
The campaign marks a strategic shift by the Premier League, following the termination of a long-standing partnership with Stonewall last year.
That decision brought an end to the Rainbow Laces initiative, which had been in place since 2014 and had increasingly placed individual players at the centre of cultural and religious disputes.
Under the new framework, symbolic obligations placed on players will be scaled back.
Team captains will not be required to wear rainbow armbands, while pride-themed warm-up jackets and rainbow boot laces will no longer be mandated.
Sam Morsy refused to wear a rainbow armband on religious grounds
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Instead, inclusive messaging will be delivered through stadium screens, pitch-side advertising, handshake boards and match presentation infrastructure.
The change follows a turbulent previous season, during which several high-profile incidents exposed growing tensions between personal belief and league-led messaging.
Sam Morsy declined to wear a rainbow armband on religious grounds, while Marc Guehi wrote religious messages on an armband during fixtures for Crystal Palace.
Five facts about the Premier League | PA/GETTY/REUTERS/GBNEWS
Manchester United abandoned plans to wear pride-themed warm-up jackets after Noussair Mazraoui declined participation.
Guehi, a practising Christian and son of a church minister, was reprimanded by the Football Association after displaying the phrase “I love Jesus” during a draw with Newcastle United, before writing “Jesus loves you” in a subsequent match against Ipswich Town.
FA guidance cited regulations prohibiting political, religious or personal statements on playing equipment, while clarifying that LGBTQ+ symbolism fell outside those restrictions.
Public defence followed from Guehi’s father, who argued that the message conveyed inclusivity rather than offence and highlighted inconsistency in public reaction when compared with outright refusals to wear the armband.
Within Old Trafford, Mazraoui’s stance was believed to have divided opinion inside the dressing room, prompting senior figures to withdraw the initiative entirely for that fixture.
League officials now hope the revised approach will reduce confrontation, lower the personal burden placed on players and refocus responsibility for inclusion messaging away from individuals and back towards institutions.
Marc Guehi wore a rainbow armband but was punished for writing the words ‘I love Jesus’ on it
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There will be plenty of big matches during Pride week.
Manchester United host Tottenham on Saturday looking to continue their recent resurgence under Michael Carrick.
Another big fixture takes place on Sunday, with Manchester City travelling to Liverpool.
Next week, all 10 Premier League sides will compete in matches played between Tuesday and Thursday.
