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Premier League Rainbow Laces campaign explained: What is it and what has sparked controversy?

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Premier League Rainbow Laces campaign explained: What is it and what has sparked controversy?

The Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign, an annual show of support for the LGBTQ+ community, has been overshadowed this week.

Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy twice refused to wear the accompanying rainbow armband in games, citing his religious beliefs, while Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi chose to write two pro-Christian messages on the armbands he’s worn in their past two matches.

The Athletic also reported on Wednesday morning that Manchester United abandoned plans to wear rainbow-themed Adidas warm-up jackets ahead of Sunday’s 4-0 win over Everton after defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to join the initiative. The Morocco international, like Morsy, pointed to his Muslim faith as the reason for his reluctance.

A well-intended campaign from the Premier League has found itself at the heart of a wider, divisive debate but one that is not unique to English football. 

The Athletic analyses the origins of rainbow laces and whether the initiative can retain a place in the game’s calendar. 

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What is the Rainbow Laces campaign and why was it introduced?

The campaign dates back to 2013 when Stonewall, the LGBTQ+ charity, initially teamed up with UK bookmaker Paddy Power to send rainbow-coloured laces to all professional footballers across England and Scotland.

Players were encouraged to show their support for LGBTQ+ communities by wearing them and its success led to the Premier League formally partnering with Stonewall in an attempt to improve inclusivity across the top level of English football. A report released by Stonewall last month showed that one in four LGBTQ+ people still did not feel welcome at live sporting events.

It has become customary for the Premier League to allot two matchweeks to the Rainbow Laces campaign every season, presenting all 20 clubs with the opportunity to mark the event with a home fixture. The Premier League distributes rainbow-branded corner flags, ball plinths, handshake boards and substitution boards to its clubs, as well as the laces and captain’s armbands.


A rainbow-coloured substitution board is one of the other ways the Premier League marks the campaign (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The wider period, this season running between November 29 and December 5, also sees clubs encouraged to highlight the work they do to “embed equality, diversity and inclusion”.

That typically includes content with managers, players and supporters to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities. One example this year was Southampton and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale speaking out on the challenges faced by his brother, Oliver, who is openly gay.

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Why has it proved a talking point this year?

Morsy’s decision not to wear a rainbow armband for Ipswich’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday made him the only one of 20 captains in the Premier League not to do so. A club statement, released on Monday, confirmed the “religious beliefs” of Morsy, a Muslim, had been behind the step, with Ipswich saying they would “respect” the midfielder’s actions.

Also on Saturday, Guehi, a devout Christian, wore the rainbow armband in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United after having written ”I (heart) Jesus” across it. Doing so contravened the Football Association’s rules banning any religious messaging being carried on playing kits.

By chance, Morsy and Guehi were on opposing teams on Tuesday night as Palace won 1-0 away to Ipswich. Morsy again chose not to wear the rainbow armband, while Guehi had changed the written message on his to “Jesus (heart) you”.


Marc Guehi and Sam Morsy both made their own statements around the Rainbow Laces campaign (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Speaking to Sky Sports on Wednesday, Guehi explained his thinking behind writing the messages.

“I think the message was pretty clear, to be honest,” he said. “It’s a message of love and truth as well and a message of inclusivity, so it speaks for itself.”

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On Wednesday, The Athletic revealed United’s plan to wear rainbow-themed warm-up jackets ahead of Sunday’s game with Everton was scrapped due to Mazraoui, who is Muslim, refusing to take part.

Is this the first time it has provoked controversy?

This is the second year that a Premier League side’s captain has opted against wearing the rainbow armband, after Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international defender, did so last December.

Ahmedhodzic, a Muslim, wore the standard Premier League armband for a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool, in what was his first game as the team’s captain. Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder told reporters after the game that he had been unaware of Ahmedhodzic’s decision, and when asked by Swedish outlet SVT Sport why he had chosen not to have a rainbow armband, the defender answered, “Guess.”

Are players allowed to not wear a rainbow armband or laces?

Neither the laces nor the armband are considered compulsory but there has been an unwritten expectation that all players help promote the campaign. No Premier League captain, until Ahmedhodzic did so, had shown any resistance to the pro-LGBTQ+ messaging.

What are the rules around footballers promoting political symbols or messages on their kits?

Doing that, in short, is prohibited by the FA, who have specific kit requirements for players at all levels of English football. “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” it outlines under Law 4.

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The theory is that football, and a player’s kit, should not be used for the promotion of any beliefs, ensuring religion and politics are kept at a distance.

Those lines, though, can be blurred.

The annual poppy appeal, raising money for veterans of Britain’s armed forces, sees clubs carry the charity’s logo on their kits but James McClean, now of Wrexham in League One, has long considered it a political symbol and refused to commemorate the occasion, owing to his roots as a Catholic growing up in Northern Ireland.


McClean stands away from his Wrexham team-mates during the Remembrance Day minute’s silence in November (Gary Oakley/PA Images via Getty Images)

“The poppy represents, for me, an entire different meaning to what it does for others,” McClean posted on Instagram in November. “Am I offended by someone wearing a poppy? No, absolutely not, what does offend me though, is having the poppy… forced upon me.”

The same stance was adopted by Nemanja Matic as a Manchester United player, because of Britain’s historic involvement in a military campaign in his homeland of Serbia.

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It’s not just players either. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was fined £20,000 by the FA in 2018 for wearing a yellow ribbon — a symbol of solidarity with members of the independence movement in the Spanish region of Catalonia, where Guardiola is from, who had been arrested by Spain’s authorities — during an FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic.

What has been the response of the football governing bodies and LGBTQ rights groups?

The FA has been in contact with Palace since Guehi wore his modified rainbow armband to remind them of the kit regulations, but no formal action will follow. Palace manager Oliver Glasner told reporters on Tuesday night he had spoken with Guehi ahead of the Ipswich game. “He’s no child. He’s an adult and he has an opinion,” said Glasner. “We respect that, and accept every opinion.”

Though the FA and Premier League are yet to make any formal comments on Morsy refusing to wear a rainbow armband or Guehi’s messaging, Stonewall released their own statement this week. “It has been incredible to see so many football teams at all levels support our Rainbow Laces campaign to make sport safer and more inclusive for all. When clubs like Ipswich Town FC show their support, it helps people feel safe and welcome both on and off the pitch,” a spokesperson said. “It is up to individuals to choose if and how they show their support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.”

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

‘We deserve our rights’: How LGBTQ+ fans feel about Rainbow Laces controversy

Is the campaign likely to keep going?

There is no indication the actions of Morsy and Guehi, or the events at Manchester United, will lead to any changes in the Premier League’s allyship with Stonewall. It has been a long-running partnership designed to welcome LGBTQ+ communities and heighten inclusivity and the resistance to the campaign has been nominal.

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Ahead of this year’s event, the league’s chief executive Richard Masters suggested it remained a long-term commitment.

“There has been considerable progress to make football a more inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community since the Rainbow Laces campaign launched a decade ago,” Masters said. “We are determined to maintain this momentum to make sure football is welcoming for everyone and send a clear message that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.”


Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lit up in rainbow colours in support of the initiative (Getty Images)

Are there equivalent campaigns in other sports?

The Rainbow Laces campaign is not confined to football in England, with Stonewall saying “over a million” people have participated since its launch 11 years ago, including elite athletes from the worlds of rugby union, rugby league and cricket.

Other countries have adopted similar initiatives and, like the Premier League, run into problems.

Clubs from French football’s top divisions wear shirts carrying rainbow colours once a season to promote LGBTQ+ causes, leading some players to make themselves unavailable for that round of games.

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Midfielder Idrissa Gueye, now in the Premier League with Everton, was twice left out of Paris Saint-Germain squads after refusing to wear the modified shirt. Mauricio Pochettino, the club’s manager at the time, said in 2022 that Gueye had missed one particular match for “personal reasons” and there was support from Cheikhou Kouyate of Palace and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr (now a Palace player himself) on social media. All three play at international level for Senegal, where homosexuality is illegal.

Toulouse and Morocco forward Zakaria Aboukhlal also decided not to appear for his French club in 2023 when rainbow kits marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Monaco and Mali midfielder Mohamed Camara was handed a four-match ban at the end of last season after covering up an anti-homophobia message on his shirt during a match in Ligue 1, the top division of club football in France. Amelie Oudea-Castera, the country’s sports minister, called Camara’s actions “unacceptable behaviour.”

The rainbow colours also created an issue in the NHL, North America’s top ice hockey league, last year. The NHL reversed a ban on players wrapping multi-coloured ‘Pride’ tape around their hockey sticks in support of LGBTQ+ communities.

(Top photo: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

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Caitlin Clark trading card sells for $234,850, shattering previous Clark and WNBA record

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Caitlin Clark trading card sells for 4,850, shattering previous Clark and WNBA record

A Caitlin Clark trading card sold at auction for $234,850 on Saturday night — more than doubling the previous all-time record for a Clark or WNBA card of $97,212.54 set in October. The latest record was achieved by Clark’s one-of-a-kind 2024 Panini Select WNBA Gold Vinyl autograph rookie card and was sold by Goldin.

The latest sale is also the second most expensive women’s sports card of all time behind a 2003 NetPro Serena Williams autographed patch card (featuring a piece of one of her match-worn tennis outfits in the card), which sold in 2022 for $266,400.

The massive jump from the previous record for a Clark card to this shows how interest in the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year’s collectibles still continues to grow, even during the league’s offseason. It also reflects the difference in how different types of cards are valued. The card that sold for $97,212.54 in October was a Panini Instant card (printed to order and sold individually by the manufacturer) made to commemorate Clark winning Rookie of the Year honors. These cards are traditionally less valuable than cards pulled out of packs, like the Panini Select Gold Vinyl card was. And with WNBA trading card rights holder Panini’s flagship product, 2024 WNBA Prizm, still yet to be released, it seems likely that another record could be achieved once the 1/1 autograph card from that product is pulled.

The first of three 2024 WNBA trading card sets didn’t start to hit the market until mid-October, which has been a major contributor to Clark sales records progressing throughout the calendar year. First, one of her college cards set a record in January, then one of her WNBA Draft cards set a record in September, then her Rookie of the Year card in October, and now arguably her most significant pack-pulled WNBA card released to date has topped them all.

GO DEEPER

Answers to the biggest Caitlin Clark trading card questions

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Here are the top five Clark card sales to date:

  1. 2024 Panini Select Signed Gold Vinyl (sold 12/7/24) — $234,850
  2. 2024 Panini Instant Rookie of the Year Blue Viper autographed (sold 10/4/24) — $97,212.54
  3. 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Draft Blue Viper autographed (sold 9/20/24) — $84,000
  4. 2022 Bowman University Autographed Superfractor (sold 1/25/24) — $78,000
  5. 2024 Panini Select Autographed Black Finite (sold 12/1/24) — $52,800

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.

(Top photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Conference championship weekend

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Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Conference championship weekend

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The 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was officially revealed on Sunday as the season begins to wind down with the bell ringing in the fight for the national championship.

Conference championship weekend proved out whether teams belong in the playoffs. Clemson surprised SMU with a win in the ACC Championship, which ended up keeping Alabama out of the field. Georgia stunned Texas to win the SEC Championship, earning the Bulldogs a bye into the quarterfinals.

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Boise State also earned a bye into the quarterfinals behind another Heisman Trophy-worthy performance from running back Ashton Jeanty.

So, with the meat of the season finished, who were the winners and losers from the weekend this time? Read below to find out.

Winners

Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers speaks to his team during the first half of the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (David Jensen/Getty Images)

Clemson: After losing to South Carolina in the regular-season finale, the Tigers needed to beat SMU to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. After giving up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Clemson nailed a 56-yard field goal to win the ACC championship. After all the talk of Dabo Swinney not making another CFP run in the near future, he now has his team playing for a national championship. A wild end to the season for Clemson, and they needed a monster FG to finish it off. 

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SMU: A close loss may never feel so good for SMU as it did as their ferocious comeback in the ACC title game made the case for their spot in the College Football Playoff. Now they get a matchup against a Penn State team with a small bump in momentum and a dream.

Oregon: What an introduction to the Big Ten for Oregon. In year 1 in the conference, the Ducks ran a dominate campaign, culminating with a convincing yet competitive victory over conference staple Penn State.

Ashton Jeanty: Did the Boise State running back solidify the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in the Broncos’ Mountain West Conference victory? The winner will be announced later this week, and Jeanty or Colorado’s Travis Hunter are expected to be the frontrunners to win the prestigious award. Jeanty, though, had his sixth 200-yard rushing game with 209 on 32 carries with one touchdown in the 21-7 win over UNLV. Jeanty finished the regular season with 2,497 yards on 344 carries (7.3 per carry) in one of the most impressive seasons for a running back in college football history.

Ashton Jeanty stiff arms

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty pushes away from the arms of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson on a run in the first half of the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

Cam Skattebo: Never doubt the Arizona State running back’s confidence after he helped lead the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title on Saturday night. Skattebo had 170 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns in ASU’s beatdown of the Cyclones, which capped an impressive season for him. He had 1,398 rushing yards with 19 rushing touchdowns during the regular season, and there will be a national title to fight for as the Sun Devils get a bye as the No. 4 seed.

Timothée Chalamet: College football fans were not pleased with ESPN’s decision to host Hollywood A-list actor Timothée Chalamet as the special guest picker on “College GameDay” for conference championship weekend. But the “Dune” actor left those same fans speechless with his seemingly expert analysis, leaving even his co-hosts for the day in awe. For what it’s worth, he was the only one to predict Ohio’s 38–3 rout over Miami-Ohio.

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Losers

Alabama: The College Football Playoff committee decided that wins outweighed strength of schedule when giving SMU a spot in the playoffs over Alabama on Sunday. The Mustangs lost to Clemson on the final play of the ACC championship game, but the Crimson Tide’s losses to ​​Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma proved to be too costly. Penn State is set to host the Mustangs in the first round.

Texas: Look, I know that Quinn Ewers passed for over 350 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game, but those two interceptions were brutal. The biggest win of the regular season came against Texas A&M, and while their defense is good enough to help lead this team to a playoff win, the offense is also hit-and-miss. Even when Carson Beck was injured before halftime, the Longhorns could not take advantage of a wounded Dawgs team. It’s going to be fascinating to see if Steve Sarkisian gets Arch Manning more involved when the playoff begins.

Iowa State: Just when you thought Matt Campbell could lead this Iowa State team to a Big 12 title and get over the hump, they ran into Arizona State in the championship game. Not only that, the defense was abysmal, losing by 26 points in a game that was over by the third quarter. They had a shot at the playoff but will now be bowling somewhere, most likely in warm weather, but obviously not for a national championship. A missed opportunity for the Cyclones.

UNLV: UNLV was heavy underdogs against Boise State in the Mountain West championship. It appeared UNLV went through the motions of a Boise State blowout for much of the first half, then took an opening to make the score a bit more cosmetic when Boise State took its foot off the gas.

Carson Beck in 2024

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (Dale Zanine-Imagn Images/File)

Carson Beck’s draft stock: Would the Bulldogs have won the SEC Championship over Texas with Beck quarterbacking in the second half? Beck was hurt on the final play of the first half, which was supposed to be a Hail Mary, but his arm was hit while attempting to make the throw, and he went down in immediate pain. Then, his backup, Gunner Stockton, sent a jolt of life into the Bulldogs’ offense, which eventually scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to seal the victory. Beck was 7-of-13 for 56 yards, though he does have time to rest up to be ready for the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, where Georgia is the No. 2 seed.

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The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.

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Playing without LeBron James, Lakers have several heroes in win over Portland

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Playing without LeBron James, Lakers have several heroes in win over Portland

The Lakers had little choice Sunday night in their return to Los Angeles, a style of play chosen for them instead of them choosing it.

LeBron James, upgraded to probable earlier in the day, was suddenly on his way out of the lineup, his sore foot severe enough that his dream of an 82-game season ended Sunday evening.

Without James and still without Austin Reaves, Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team would need to play with distinct characteristics.

“We’re going to have to move,” Redick said before the game. “We’re going to have to cut. We’re going to have to pass. We’re going to have to play in transition.”

If this sounds familiar it’s because it’s how Redick has said he wants the Lakers to play with James on the court.

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Without him Sunday night in a 107-98 win against Portland, the Lakers didn’t need one hero to take over. The stars of the game changed by the moment — Anthony Davis dominating the paint early. Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent’s defense triggering the Lakers’ first great run. Rui Hachimura, in front of countryman Shohei Ohtani, efficiently carving up the defense. And D’Angelo Russell playing himself into rhythm first by doing the little things and then by doing the flashy things, hitting the crowd-igniting threes that helped carry the Lakers at times a season ago.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton in the first half Sunday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“We were running our sets. We were screening well. Guys were getting shots that we had gotten the first couple of games in the season,” Davis said. “It’s not rocket science. We just got to continue to play how we’ve been playing the last couple of games and we’ll be all right.”

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Davis finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Russell had season highs with 28 points and 14 assists coming off the bench, giving the Lakers’ second-unit some desperately needed teeth. And Hachimura scored a season-high 23 on just 13 shots while getting four steals.

“We were really good,” Hachimura said of the Lakers’ early-season offense. “We have that. We just kind of broke that. But I think we can get back easily. So we got to focus on that.”

Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell, right, strips the ball from Portland forward Deni Avdija in the second half Sunday.

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, right, strips the ball from Portland forward Deni Avdija in the second half Sunday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

As the Lakers have entered into a bit of an early-season identity crisis, their offensive style has swung from Redick’s preferred motion-based system to more deliberate basketball. Part of that, of course, has to do with Reaves missing the last five games, the Lakers losing one of their primary half-court weapons. Part of it though, has been James admitted adjustments to the Lakers’ plans.

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Regardless of why, the numbers don’t lie.

The first 12 games of the season, the Lakers had the NBA’s fifth-rated offense. The last 12 games, the Lakers have the league’s 25th-rated offense.

Lakers guard Dalton Knecht hangs on the rim after dunking against Portland on Sunday.

Lakers guard Dalton Knecht hangs on the rim after dunking against Portland on Sunday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“You have to adapt throughout the season with what works for the group and what works for different players,” Redick said after Sunday’s win. “I will say, night to night, LeBron and AD are gonna have the ball, and the offense is gonna run through them. How we do that has been different at different times throughout the year.

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“The other guys are really good offensive players and really talented. And there’s nights where it’s their nights and there’s nights where it’s not. So some of it is feel but again, you have to be open to mixing different things in.”

One of those “other” guys, Russell, had his best offensive game of the season, catching fire in the fourth when he scored 13 points.

Russell declined to speak to the media after the game.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, watch the Lakers play the Portland Trail Blazers.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, watch the Lakers play the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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The team’s struggles trying to find the right compromise was a guaranteed challenge, the early-season buy-in and execution were sure to suffer once old habits resurfaced. The challenge now for Redick and the players is to recapture who they were early and reinforce that it’s who they should be moving forward.

A game such as Sunday’s, even against the third-worst team in the West, can have some utility for the team as it gets healthier and the challenges increase.

The Lakers now have four days off before they play the Timberwolves in Minnesota, time they need to rest, to recover and to reconsider what kind of basketball they should be playing.

“We know what we’re supposed to do offensively,” Davis said. “We know where we’re supposed to get to as far as our spots, our running patterns, offensive schemes our plays — we know all of that. Just about a matter of executing it.”

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