Captains have been wearing rainbow armbands in the last two rounds of Premier League matches as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign, which offers support to the LGBTQ+ community in football and beyond.
The campaign, which the Premier League runs in partnership with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, came to an end last Thursday.
However, a leading human rights lawyer is threatening to sue the Football Association over its use of "rainbow armbands and laces".
Paul Conrathe, from SinclairsLaw, sent a letter of intent to FA on Friday stating that unless it “accepts authorising rainbow armbands and rainbow laces is unlawful and will not happen again” it will launch legal action.
Conrathe is planning to take the legal case as he says the rainbow campaign breaches FA rules on slogans, statements, images and advertising.
This states: “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo. For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by Fifa.”
His letter of intent to sue the FA states: “The FA has acted unlawfully by encouraging, authorising or directing players in the Premier League to wear equipment including boot laces and armbands in rainbow colours during the 'Rainbow Laces' campaign."
