Despite Rainbow Captain's Armband No Longer Available, Premier League Has Not Yet Learned from Its Campaign of Deviance

JAKARTA - After sparking various controversies during the 2024/2025 season, the 2025/2026 Premier League will no longer feature the rainbow captain's armband.

As reported by the BBC on Monday, August 11, 2025, the decision to ditch the rainbow captain's armband for the new season was made for a clear reason. In the 2025/2026 season, the Premier League will no longer partner with Stonewall, an LGBTQ+ charity.

After 10 years, the partnership finally ended in 2025. However, despite the discontinuation of the partnership, the Premier League is reportedly planning another LGBTQ+ solidarity campaign.

The campaign is scheduled to take place in February 2025, but will no longer involve the use of the captain's armband.

Long before this, the use of the rainbow captain's armband in the Premier League had sparked debate.

Last season, Marc Guehi even strongly voiced his protest against the rainbow captain's armband.

As a form of protest, Guehi even emblazoned "I Love Jesus" on the rainbow captain's armband he was forced to wear.

The FA also issued a warning about Guehi's behavior, but this didn't deter him.

Not only Guehi, but Ipswitch captain Sam Morsy also expressed his opposition, choosing to wear a standard captain's armband instead of a rainbow one.

During the 10-year partnership with Stonewall, captains of Premier League teams were required to wear rainbow armbands. All other players were required to wear rainbow-patterned shoelaces.