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.
Man United players abandoned plan to walk out in Adidas jackets in support of LGBTQ+ v Everton after Noussair Mazraoui cited religious concerns. Team decided nobody would wear it so that Mazraoui not seen as only one to refuse https://t.co/alEXW0S9gr
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.”
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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.
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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.
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Fk United.
I tell you, this year's Rainbow Laces campaign is highlighting how wafer-thin certain clubs' support for representing diversity and minorities has always been. United has still never had a float at Manchester Pride.
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.”
Kevin de Bruyne’s comeback sparks Manchester City’s return to winning ways
Danny Jones
Manchester City got back to winning ways on Wednesday night with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest to end their winless streak, and it looked seemingly to be down to the return of one man: Kevin De Bruyne.
Pep Guardiola has been keeping careful with the Belgian’s fitness in recent weeks, only risking him from the bench of late, but De Bruyne’s long-awaited restoration to the matchday XI appeared to have achieved the desired effect as Man City looked much more like their dominant selves.
Starting his first game in nearly three months, the midfield maestro created Bernardo Silva’s opening goal in just the eighth minute and scored a powerful strike for the second around the half-hour mark, as well as helping keep the tempo ticking throughout the game.
The 33-year-old unsurprisingly picked up the Man of the Match award following his impressive return to the starting lineup, being met with a standing ovation when was taken off in the 74th minute. You watch back his emphatic moment of the night here:
Netting not only his first goal since August but helping finally break the Blues’ winless run (seven losses, one draw prior to the Forest win), De Bruyne‘s full return was desperately needed both for the team and the fans.
For all the talk of Rodri’s injury having killed City’s form, and the 2024 Ballon D’or winner’s absence has certainly been felt immensely by those around the club, KDB’s contribution came as the right tonic and just at the right time.
The increase in creativity and goal threat also looked to translate to the forwards, with a total of 17 shots created and Jérémy Doku getting himself on the scoresheet for the third and final finish at the death.
At the other end of the pitch, Guardiola‘s men also managed to keep their first clean sheet since 26 October and with every game now a must-win if they are to stand even the slimmest chance of catching Arne Slot’s high-flying Scousers, regaining their levels at both ends of the pitch is crucial.
Speaking after the game, the number 17 thanked the fan for turning up to the Etihad Stadium on what was a very grim and rainy night in Manchester; he also went to confess that whilst it’s been a difficult period for him personally, he was just happy to get past 70 minutes and hopefully shift the “momentum”.
De Bruyne gave an uplifted but honest interview after ending a seven-game streak without a win for City.
De Bruyne’s performance saw plenty hopping on social media to once again proclaim not just the best midfielder in English football but “the greatest player” full stop and perhaps even the greatest the Premier League has ever seen. It’s getting hard to argue otherwise at this point. We’re getting déjà vu…
Be it the hamstring injury that’s been keeping him out most, or the abdominal issues that have held him back from being a regular starter most recently, neither his quality, age nor his relationship with Pep come into it – if/when he can play, he’s simply phenomenal.
With title rivals Liverpool having dropped points for just the third time all season with a dramatic 3-3 draw against Newcastle, it was pretty much a perfect night for Man City, though they still have a mountain to climb and can’t afford to make any slip-ups if they want to be in the conversation come May.
One thing is for sure, since it looks as though Rodri is very unlikely to make an appearance before the end of the season – no matter how determined he might be to make a comeback – the four-time consecutive champions will surely need to Kev to stay fit even if they want to close that nine-point gap.
You can see the highlights from Man City’s 3-0 home win over Nottingham Forest down below:
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
Sport
Tributes pour in for well-known Manchester United supporter and fancam favourite Abdullah Ghaleiw
Danny Jones
Tributes are pouring in online for well-known Manchester United supporter, Abdullah Ghaleiw, who has sadly passed away at the age of just 26.
Aside from being a familiar face among the Old Trafford crowd, Ghaleiw was an online content creator, commentator and hugely popular contributor on the Man United YouTube fan channel, Full Time Devils (FTD), which rebranded back in 2020.
More commonly referred to as just Abdul, both among those on the channel and by the millions who watched him over the years, he was a regular on their post-match fancams, as well as other shows and livestreams on matchdays and beyond.
With other Reds, long-time viewers and supporters from all over the country learning of the news, social media has been awash with people paying their respects to the die-hard footy fan, as well as a much-loved friend and colleague.
Really shaken up after seeing this man. Back when I was at the United Star team, Abdullah was one of the first people to give us advise on how to approach this genre. So humble and kind.
Born in Libya but raised and schooled here in Manchester, he was a matchgoing United fan for many seasons. Having gone from fancam favourite to several years working in various roles on the channel, he was most recently a producer for JD Sports. His cause of death has not been shared publicly.
Stretford Paddock (formerly FTD and now a fan-owned football club too), who Abdullah worked alongside for many years and was a regular face on the channel under their old moniker, told The Manc: “Abdullah was one of the most passionate, knowledgeable and likeable lads you could wish to meet.
“He was an extremely popular presenter on the channel thanks to his ability to not only explain tactics in an entertaining and understandable way, but also because of his great sense of humour and infectious laugh.
“We’ve shared so many moments with him but his reaction in Paris from our win over PSG remains one of our favourites. We’ll always miss Abdullah and the channel will be a much sadder place without him.”
Speaking in an emotional livestream on Monday after attending his funeral, the company’s founder Stephen Howson went on to tell viewers: “I don’t know what to say – we’ve lost a mate […] The good news is we have so much content [of him] to go back and watch […] He will be missed.”
BBC Radio Manchester presenter, Gaz Drinkwater – who spent a formative period of his career working and talking football with Abdul during his tenure at Full Time Devils – is one of several notable names in and around football journalism to have paid tribute to a peer admired by many.
Anyone else could’ve sold a ticket to an FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley for a profit, but Abdullah looked out for me in every aspect, gave it to me for FV, & even helped me work with one of my favorite footballers.
Fellow United content creator and Stretford Paddock presenter Adam McKola shared a parting message on his Instagram, writing: “We’ve lost a real one, a great friend and a true bro. Been reading through all the posts and tweets about how much you’ve done for people, the impact you had on their lives and careers, how much we loved you, you will be so, so missed bro.
“We didn’t have you around us because you were good at your job, and believe me you were one of the best, we had you around because you were such a clean hearted, genuine brother. I’ll miss you man. Can still hear your laugh ringing in my head – hope I don’t forget it.
“My love goes out to your family, friends and close ones. Rest in perfect peace, Abdullah – I love you, bro.” His is just one of many others detailing how Ghaleiw touched their lives, from passing on spare tickets to mentoring others looking to get into his line of work.
To this day, his face can be found all over the channel and, just as countless fans wrote in the live chat during Howson’s remembrance livestream, many of FTD/Stretford Paddock‘s most iconic moments had ‘Abdul’ at the heart of them.
Our thoughts go out to all those in the Stretford Paddock family, as well as his friends, family and Reds everywhere. Rest in peace.
Danny Jones -
4th December 2024 
