Ally McCoist lashes out at Marc Guehi haters as pundit gasps 'what is the world coming to?'

Ally McCoist has defended Marc Guehi after the Crystal Palace captain sparked controversy by scrawling a religious message on his rainbow armband.

The defender penned "Jesus loves you" on it for Tuesday's match against Ipswich and wrote a similar note on the armband in Saturday's draw with Newcastle. The devout Christian insisted he was spreading a "message of inclusivity" after escaping FA action, saying: "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."

The Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign, in support of the LGBTQ+ community, ends tonight. But the fallout surrounding Guehi and the refusal by Ipswich captain and practising Muslim Sam Morsy to wear the armband due to his "religious beliefs" could force top-flight chiefs to reconsider the future of the campaign.

However, McCoist has thrown his support behind Guehi and Morsy and insists it should be down to the individual to decide whether or not to take part. The Rangers icon told talkSPORT: "I don't have a problem at all. The problem isn't Marc Guehi saying 'I love Jesus'. The problem is people having a problem with it. I mean, dear me, all he's doing is expressing his feelings for Jesus. Are you really getting upset about that, what is the world coming to?

"I mentioned Sam Morsy as well who didn't wear the armband. Whether we agree with it or not, that is his belief, and I don't have a problem with that either. That is his belief, I don't necessarily agree with it but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw the toys out of the pram and say he's out of order. That's his choice and Marc Guehi's choice to