Marc Guehi has upset IFAB (The International Football Association Board) after modifying his rainbow armband during Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Crystal Palace and Newcastle.
It was a weekend for the Rainbow Laces campaign – a movement designed to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in football – in which each Premier League captain wore an armband featuring colours of the rainbow.
However – as a devout Christian – the Crystal Palace No.6 added the words “I love Jesus” to his armband, which has landed him in some trouble with the rule makers.
So, what did Marc Guehi do wrong, and will the England international be banned? Let’s take a look.
Marc Guehi set to escape with a warning
Law 4 of IFAB’s rulebook states: “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.
In the event of an offence, it reads: “The player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.”
However – according to Rob Harris of Sky News – Guehi and Crystal Palace will not be sanctioned by either IFAB or the Football Association (FA) on this occasion, with the FA instead set to remind the £18m man of his responsibilities instead of taking disciplinary action.
It means the 24-year-old will be available for Oliver Glasner when Crystal Palace take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Tuesday night, as the Eagles look to avoid slipping back into the relegation zone.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 9 |
| 18 |  WolvesWolves | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 32 | -10 | 9 |
| 19 |  IpswichIpswich | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 24 | -11 | 9 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 25 | -15 | 5 |
Punishment for Crystal Palace No.6 would have been bizarre
Had Guehi – who Newcastle still want to sign – been punished for his religious message, it would have been a complete and utter farce.
The man from Abidjan still wore the armband – unlike Ipswich Town No.5 Sam Morsy – and hardly did anything to play down the message of promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in football.
Guehi – who is yet to sign a new contract at Crystal Palace – is also one of the nicest players we can recall being at Selhurst Park, one who treats everybody with respect, so it would be entirely out of character for him to besmirch the LGBTQ+ community in any way.
Fortunately, the FA have taken the sensible option of a mere warning – which will hopefully mean water under the bridge for Guehi and Crystal Palace in this instance.
