Anel Ahmedhodzic became the first player in seven years to not wear a rainbow armband at the Premier League. The incident occurred last Wednesday during Sheffield United’s 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.
Ahmedhodzic is not the regular captain of Sheffield, but he assumed that role considering that Chris Basham and John Egan were unavailable. In a highly controversial decision, he did not wear the rainbow armband.
The rainbow armband is worn in support of the LGBT community, and the Premier League requires captains of all teams to use it in certain matches throughout the season.
Anel Ahmedhodzic is a Muslim, which could be the reason for not wearing the rainbow armband, although this version has not been confirmed. The Premier League has not announced whether there will be any sanctions for the player.
Virgil van Dijk wore the rainbow armband in the match between Sheffield United and Liverpool (Getty Images)
Anel Ahmedhodzic didn’t wear the rainbow armband in Premier League
Chris Wilder, the coach of Sheffield United, expressed surprise when asked if he knew the reason why the Bosnian player did not wear the rainbow armband in the match against Liverpool. “I didn’t know. It’s not a club decision or a personal decision. I just didn’t know he did that.”
Toulouse and Ligue 1: Another controversy with rainbow jerseys
Last May, five players from Toulouse were left out of a Ligue 1 game against Nantes. The reason was because they refused to wear a rainbow jersey to commemorate the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia which was be celebrated a few days after that incident.
Toulouse explained the reasons for that historic decision. “The players from our roster expressed their disagreement to associate their image with the rainbow colors representing the LGBT movement. Even though we respect the individual choices of the players, Toulouse have decided to separate them from this Sunday’s match against Nantes.”
Moussa Diarra, Fares Chaibi, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Logan Costa and Said Hamulic were the players who didn’t appear in that game as they refused to support the cause wearing rainbow jerseys.
“The openness to the world is an integral part of the club’s DNA. Our players are chosen for their human qualities regardless of their beliefs or convictions. Toulouse wishes to recall their longstanding commitment to the fight against homophobia and all forms of discrimination. For more than two decades now, the club has undertaken and supported numerous projects to promote the values of respect, tolerance and sharing.”
