Ligue 1 anti-homophobia drive leads to sanctions call as players snub campaign

On Saturday, former Serbia midfielder Matic’s shirt and that of Egyptian Hassan had tape covering the campaign logo.

Fellow Egypt international Mohamed, meanwhile, did not play in his side’s win which saw them stay in the division.

“I believe in mutual respect – the respect we owe others, but also the respect we owe to ourselves and our beliefs. For me, there are deep-rooted values linked to my background and my beliefs that make my participation in this initiative difficult,” Nantes’ Mohamed said on Instagram before the match.

Reports in France suggest the player will be fined by the club with the money donated to a charity fighting LGBTQ+ discrimination.

“Football has a massive platform, and the [French Football] Federation is determined to put this issue on the clubs’ and supporters’ agenda,” sports minister Barsacq said.

“Homophobic insults and behaviour are no longer acceptable. Society has evolved, and the language in football must change with it. There’s a full range of sanctions available, and they must be applied.”

Nice full-back and France international Jonathan Clauss last week spoke about his support for the campaign but pointed out: “There will never be 100% of people who agree and the very fact that there’s a debate is a problem.”

Some Toulouse players missed a match in 2023 with the club saying they had “expressed their disagreement with the association of their image with the rainbow colours representing the LGBT movement”.

Then-Paris St-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye – now at Everton – similarly missed games in 2021 and 2022.