Rainbow armbands and ‘LGBTQ+ jackets’: football’s front for homophobia

Conversation and debate has been sparked by Sam Morsy, captain of Ipswich Town, as he was the only captain in the Premier League not wearing a rainbow armband during the top flight’s annual campaign with Stonewall. Citing his faith and Muslim identity, Morsy refused to wear the armband, which shows support for LGBTQ+ players, fans, and communities.

Ipswich Town and Rainbow Tractors (the club’s official LGBTQ+ supporters group) have made statements respecting his religious beliefs and decisions. Morsy has been open about his faith in the past but has faced criticism regardless. Many cite hypocrisy, as he spent his time at Middlesbrough in kits advertising 32Red and Unibet, though gambling is not permitted in Islam.

The next day, in Manchester United’s match against Everton, the prior club’s tradition of wearing a jacket that supported the LGBTQ+ community was abandoned. Noussair Mazraoui, who is also Muslim, refused to wear one—so no players did. This decision was made so Mazraoui “would not be the only one seen publicly to be refusing to wear it.”

Arguably, though, the symbols themselves are an inadequate attempt to mitigate the homophobia that is cemented into football’s culture. There is only one male player out as gay in England’s top four divisions: Jake Daniels is a forward for Blackpool F.C.; when he came out, he told Sky News that from being young, he thought “that football and being gay doesn’t mix.” Before Daniels, the last male player to come out was in 1990, Justin Fashanu, who faced homophobic and racist abuse; he died by suicide in 1998 after being accused of sexual assault.

While in the women’s game lesbian and bisexual players are more broadly accepted, engaged Women’s Super League players Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis faced homophobic abuse after announcing they were expecting last month. England defender Millie Bright said that social media companies and football authorities should be doing “more” about online abuse.

The Premier League themselves have reduced their donations to Stonewall by over 50% in their contract, signed last year. With the World Cup most recently being held in Qatar, where same-sex activity is illegal, it is clear why many LGBTQ+ fans feel that football does not constitute a safe space - but close to home, there’s no reason anyone should feel excluded, and there’s no space for exclusionary ideas.