Due to his protests, the former Manchester United and Chelsea player has received a match ban.
Nemanja Matic, an Olympique Lyon midfielder, has’responded’ to his punishment for covering an LGBTQ+ insignia on his kit.
When Matic came on as a substitute for Lyon in their 2-0 Ligue 1 home win over Angers on May 17, spectators spotted a questionable modification in his match uniform.
The former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder had covered the anti-homophobia insignia, which all French top-tier clubs display as part of an annual campaign with rainbow-colored motifs.
Le Havre striker Ahmed Hassan, 32, similarly covered the badge with tape during his team’s 3-2 victory over Strasbourg.
In response, both individuals were given two-game bans, with an additional two games postponed, and Matic has now responded to the ban.
An official statement from Ligue 1 revealed that Matic had accepted the punishment and agreed to participate in a six-month campaign to raise awareness about homophobia.
The notice said: “In addition, the committee proposed to the player — who immediately accepted at the meeting — that he take part, within six months, in a campaign to raise awareness of the fight against homophobia in football.”
Matic’s contract with Lyon expires at the end of June, and the 36-year-old has yet to agree on new terms, so it’s unclear whether he’ll serve the ban or participate in the awareness campaign.
Mostafa Mohamed, a Nantes and Egypt forward, protested the anti-homophobia emblem as he departed from his team’s relegation-decider match against Montpellier.
“I believe in mutual respect – the respect we owe others, but also the respect we owe ourselves and our beliefs,” Mohamed wrote on Instagram prior to the match.
“For me, there are deep-rooted values linked to my background and my beliefs that make my participation in this initiative difficult.”
Although the anti-homophobia program has been running in Ligue 1 for five years, it has received mixed reactions from players, with some opting out for personal or religious reasons.
However, speaking six years ago, former France international Antoine Griezmann endorsed the movement, saying: “If a gay player wants to come out, he may not have all of the France players with him, but he will have me.”
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