When Marc Guéhi was interviewed by the press concerning the message he wrote on his armband, he said,
”I believe 100% in the words that I wrote… it’s a message of truth and love…”
The Crystal Palace football club captain shared these powerful words on 4th December 2024 after making headlines, nationally and internationally, for his powerful and very public stand as an unashamed follower of Jesus Christ.
‘Rainbow Laces’
Guéhi was placed under immense pressure to wear an LGBT+ armband to commemorate the Premier League and Stonewall’s ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign. Marc did not complain, he did not voice opposition, he simply wore the armband as requested and added three simple but profound words that define his life, which is underpinned by his faith. He wrote: “I love Jesus” on the armband.
Immediately, the Football Association reprimanded Marc, saying that his expression of faith violated their rules. They warned him not to repeat it. But Marc would not be bullied. In the next match against Ipswich Town, he wrote on his new armband: “Jesus loves you 🙂 ”. Marc’s boldness and integrity started a national conversation. It was also an inspiration. Following the many statements of faith from athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it inspired countless Christians to live out their faith unapologetically. It seems that some of the most effective ‘apostles’ of the twenty-first century are high-profile sportsmen.
In the Bible, the book of Revelation is a prophecy of the end of the world. Chapter 12 explains how Christians can ‘overcome’ in times of darkness,
“And they overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11)
Christian family foundations
Marc Guéhi was born in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. His family emigrated to the London borough of Lewisham in 2002 when he was just one year old. Marc’s father was a local church minister. Consequently his childhood focused on the family’s faith, and on education, both very important values in their family. His passion for football followed close behind, but was still firmly in third place.
A very gifted player from the outset, Marc was given an opportunity to shine through the youth football development system at Chelsea. He made his Chelsea first-team debut in 2019, and was then loaned to Swansea City for the next season. In 2021, Marc transferred to Crystal Palace. He was the club’s third most expensive signing ever. From there he progressed quickly making over 100 appearances for the club by 2024.
Representing England
Marc first played for England at youth level. He was a member of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup winning squad. In 2022 he made his debut for the England senior team and helped them to second place in the UEFA Euro 2024.
Representing the Christian faith
Brought up by devout Christian parents, Marc shares his faith very naturally. Concerning the armband controversy, he told the press,
“I believe 100% in the words that I wrote, even what I’ve just said now – it’s a message of truth and love, and I hope people can understand that my faith is my faith, and I’ll stand by it for the rest of my life.”
‘Truth and love and inclusivity’
During the 2023 football season, Sheffield United captain Anel Ahmedhodzic, a devout Muslim, chose not to wear a ‘rainbow laces’ armband. Anel’s stance likely helped to pave the way for Marc Guéhi as tolerance of all religions is officially a key tenet of western societies.
The Bible is filled with examples of how enemies tried to discredit or even destroy God’s people, but God turned the attacks around and used the situation for good. In Genesis we see that Joseph was wrongly imprisoned but he ended up effectively becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt. This enabled him to save his family from starvation. Esther’s enemy sought to kill her and the people of Israel, but the plot was upended and the Israeli people were saved. Although these are extreme life and death examples, the attempt to silence devout Christian Marc Guéhi inadvertently turned a small incident into a free advertisement for the whole Christian faith.
Marc told the press that the “I love Jesus” and “Jesus loves you 🙂 ” messages he wrote on his armband were in no way intended to offend, but rather to help. The Christian faith is a message of truth, life, love, and peace for everyone. When interviewed by the BBC he added,
“The message was just a message of truth and love and inclusivity… I don’t think the message was harmful in any way.”
Story by Ralph Burden
Photo: Marc playing for Chelsea: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.