Ipswich Town 'respect' Morsy's decision not to wear rainbow armband

Samy Morsy, captain of Ipswich Town, refused to wear the rainbow flag armband last weekend in support of the LGTBIQ+ community due to his “religious beliefs”.

The Premier League is running an inclusion campaign called 'Stonewall Rainbow Laces' between November 29 and December 5, in which, among other initiatives, team captains are invited to wear a rainbow flag armband. However, Morsy, an Egypt international and Muslim, was the only one of the Premier League's 20 captains not to do so last weekend.

“We are a fully inclusive club that welcomes everyone. We support the Premier League campaign and the LGTBIQ+ community for their promotion of inclusion. During this year, members of our men's and women's teams visited the foundation's weekly football sessions, while the club made a solidarity and inclusion plea alongside Nottingham Forest ahead of Saturday's match,” Ipswich said in a statement before apologizing to its player.

“At the same time, we respect the decision of our captain, Samy Morsy, who has decided not to wear the rainbow armband due to his religious beliefs,” the English club added.