Sport

Manchester United scrapped plans to wear LGBTQ+ jackets after Noussair Mazraoui refused

A controversial clash of beliefs.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 4th December 2024

Manchester United are under the spotlight once again after they reportedly scrapped their plans to wear LGBTQ+ jackets prior to their game against Everton this past weekend after defender Noussair Mazraoui said he wasn’t prepared to wear them.

The club had initially planned to walk out of the tunnel wearing a special Adidas design in support of LGBTQ+ fans, but the Mazraoui said he wouldn’t wear the jacket due to his religion.

Born in Morrocco and into the Muslim faith – which does not approve of homosexuality and various other aspects within the queer community – the 27-year-old obviously didn’t feel comfortable taking part on religious grounds.

As a result, as per The Athletic, the rest of the team voted against taking part in the observance altogether, walking out instead in their usual pre-match attire.

According to writer Adam Crafton, the U-turn was made just hours before kick-off, with the squad deciding that “no players would wear the tracksuit so that Mazraoui would not be the only one seen publicly refusing to wear it.”

Man United have worn colourful pre-match jerseys, armbands and more on various occasions in the past as part of the Premier League’s ongoing Rainbow Laces campaign, with the squad donning a previous version of the special LGBTQ Adidas jackets just last season before Mazraroui signed for the club.

However, it now looks as though this specific show of support could be sidelined indefinitely given Mazraroui’s place in the team, having emerged not only as a starter but one of the most popular and in-form players, dubbed by many as one of their shrewdest signings in years.

Meanwhile, responding to the reports, the club told the outlet: “Manchester United welcomes fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and we are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.

“We demonstrate these principles through a range of activities, including support for our Rainbow Devils supporters’ club, and campaigns to celebrate our LGBTQ+ fans and combat all forms of discrimination. Players are entitled to hold their own individual opinions, particularly in relation to their faith, and these may sometimes differ from the club’s position.”

However, the show of solidarity from the players with their team-mate in this instance and the choice not to take part has come under fire from an understandably passionate section of fans, especially given Greater Manchester’s long-standing LGBTQ ambassadorship and annual Pride celebrations.

Naturally, not everyone is in agreeance. Football content presenter and producer Bruno Quinney wrote: “One thing for Mazraoui to refuse but even worse for the whole team to follow. Even from a PR perspective alone, this is dreadful.

On the other hand, another account said in response to United’s statement: “Was never this deep, United are so inclusive and work hard for the LGBTQ+ community and provide a safe place for them (rightly so), one person’s symbolism should not scatter the hard work in place.”

Although United have obviously insisted they will continue to support the likes of the Rainbow Devils Supporters’ Club – MUFC’s official LGBTQ+ trust which proudly flies its banner at Old Trafford week in and week out – the decision has of course come as a difficult one for many to accept.

Sharing an official response on Wednesday, the group wrote: “We respect the right of this player to have his own views, whilst also feeling disappointed that he put the rest of the squad into a position where they felt that they couldn’t wear their jackets. We also worry what kind of negative effect this incident might have on any player at the club who may be struggling with their sexuality.

“Rainbow Devils will continue to work with Manchester United to support inclusivity, through the One Love initiative and others, as we all continue our work to ensure all LGBTQ+ people feel safe and welcome at Old Trafford, both on and off the pitch.”

You can read their full statement down below:

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Featured Images — Nawfel Ajari (via WikiCommons)/ Manchester United (via YouTube)/Adidas

Sport

Man City star Jack Grealish reveals the two players who inspired his loan move to Everton

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wayne Rooney and Gazza inspired Jack Grealish to join Everton

England international Jack Grealish has revealed the two ex-players that inspired him to join Everton FC on loan from Manchester City.

The fan favourite, who joined Man City as Britain’s first-ever £100 million player back in 2021, has struggled to find a regular spot in Pep Guardiola‘s starting XI since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, but has already won all there is to win at the English club level in his time there.

Now 29 years old – largely considered well within the prime years for a footballer, if not soon to be exiting it – the next few seasons are likely to prove crucial for the Birmingham-born star.

With that in mind, Grealish has now completed his loan transition from City to Everton and has revealed that, besides the history and passionate supporters, two former legends played a big part in influencing his decision to say yes.

Much like many footy fans from the past couple of generations, the Aston Villa product admitted that Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne are two of his favourite sportsmen of all time.

While the Man United legend went on to notch the biggest achievements of his career here in Manchester, he started out life and his professional career as a teenager in the blue half of Liverpool, coming through as one of the club’s most exciting prospects ever.

As explained above, the now-loaned-out attacking midfielder also revealed that picking the number 18 was a tap-in, not only because it was Rooney’s first shirt but also that of another fellow retired Toffee and English footballing icon in Gazza, who played 32 times for the club towards the end of his playing days.

There aren’t many clubs and/or shirts that could convince a modern-day Premier League star to swap the number 10 at Treble-winning ‘four-midables’, Man City; aside from the obvious increase in playing time, there seems to be some genuine heart and sentimentality behind the switch.

Whether or not it will prove to be the right next step for the talented dribbler and creative attacking talent, only time will tell.

Not too long after being reinstated as Everton manager himself, David Moyes is also said to have played a significant role in convincing Grealish to make the move to Merseyside.

The fact that the Three Lions regular has serious “ambition” to get back in the squad for the upcoming World Cup, having been left “heartbroken” as he missed out on Euro 2024, made Moyes’ sales pitch a fairly straightforward one: ‘come be the main man and fight your way back into the selection’.

It’s said that the deal includes an option to buy for approximately £50m (half the price his parent club paid a then-record sum for him), and his new team are expected to pay a big chunk of his reported £300k-a-week wages – with overall outgoings potentially reaching more than £12m after the loan fee.

You can see Grealish’s first interview in the darker shade of blue down below.

Here’s what Grealish had to say on his loan move to Everton for the 2025/26 season.

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Featured Images — Everton FC

Sport

Manchester’s famous 24-hour charity run for the homeless expands into three new cities

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester 24-hour homeless charity run expanding into new cities for 2025

Manchester city centre’s famous 24-hour charity run, which raises money for Britain’s homeless community every year, is growing once again in 2025, with the heartwarming event expanding into a trio of new regions.

The annual 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness may have started out life here in Manchester, but last November saw it branch out for the first time ever, launching the maiden edition of The Birmingham 24 Hour Run – an instant success, with the return 12 months later confirmed soon after.

We here at The Manc have been supporting the cause for a while now, with multiple members of the team having joined both the local and Brummy editions of the run.

Now set to branch out even further in just a few months’ time, The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is set to make its Yorkshire debut across two separate fundraising events this autumn, not to mention another event in the West Midlands this winter.

The 2024 Birmingham run saw almost £1,700 for relative homeless causes in the area, with all contributions considered: nothing short of an incredible tally for the inaugural event attended by far fewer numbers than its now well-established founding counterpart.

It was the first time that the Manc-born and bred charity run had ever ventured out of the city, proving that the format and not just nationwide, but a global crisis is what that can be supported all over.

With that in mind, this year, The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness will be hoping to positively impact rough sleeping numbers in Leeds for the very first time, as well as Sheffield, Hereford and, of course, Birmingham once again.

And yes, you can expect support from our friends over at The Hoot and The Sheff.

Backed by numerous local businesses, fellow non-profit organisations, run clubs, university groups, and plenty more from in and around the community, the annual fundraising relay run attracts thousands – and that’s just in Manchester.

The 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness was started by a bunch of uni students as a charitable arm of their running society, Run Wild MCR, and has since gone on to raise more than £50,000 for the ‘A Bed Every Night Scheme’.

An amazing achievement for a crucial cause we can all get behind.

Manchester’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness raises a whopping £50k for ‘A Bed Every Night’

Overseen by the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and the Labour MP himself, Andy Burnham (who is a regular attendee every year now), the event that starts at noon one day and finishes at the same time the next, has seen both regional and national news coverage.

Speaking on this year’s expansion, 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness co-founder Tom Lewis told us: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support over the years; the Manchester running community, local companies and so many other organisations have come together to make a real difference.”

“Everyone should get involved with the 2025 events as it brings communities together from across each city to help raise money to aid those in need.”

For anyone considering getting involved with this year’s charity run for the homeless around Manchester city centre, or indeed any of the other four cities hosting in 2025, you can find the dates for each and more information HERE.

You can also watch a helpful little explainer, featuring the voice of yours truly, down below:

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness

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