Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has insisted that showing support to gay footballers is the vital message to send through the Rainbow Laces campaign.
The initiative, which was launched by charity Stonewall last year, encourages footballers to wear rainbow-coloured laces in a bid to tackle homophobia within the sport.
The campaign's tongue-in-cheek tagline of 'Right Behind Gay Footballers' caused some controversy, but Barton believes that the message behind the initiative should take priority.
In an interview with The Metro, Barton said: "There are always people who are going to complain – they will say blue is red for the sake of an argument.
"The key is getting the message out to the public that us lads are supportive of fellow pros and supporters, no matter what their sexual orientation."
Rainbow Lace weekend will take place on September 13 and 14 when the Premier League returns to action.
Danielle Joynson
