Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed will not play against Montpellier on Saturday due to his club’s participation in Ligue 1’s anti-homophobia initiative.
French clubs will wear rainbow-coloured armbands as part of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, on May 17.
Egyptian international Mohamed said on social media that he would not participate in the match and did not wish to “fuel a debate” but cited his personal beliefs for his withdrawal and asked for “calm and understanding”.
“Everyone carries their own story, culture and sensitivity,” Mohamed, 27, said. “Living together also means recognising that diversity can be expressed differently depending on the person.
“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 are 15th in Ligue 1, one place and two points above a relegation play-off spot going into the final matchday.
Nantes, who have been approached for comment by The Athletic, have not publicly spoken on Mohamed’s statement.
Ligue 1’s campaign against homophobia has been running since 2021 and aims to increase awareness around LGBTQ+ rights in football.
Mohamed has not been included in Nantes matchday squads which coincide with the initiative since he joined the French club in 2022.
In each of the last three seasons, clubs across the top divisions in France have shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community by customising their shirts with the rainbow symbol for one matchday.
In 2023, managers wore rainbow armbands and players wore shirts featuring rainbow colours, which were sold at auction to raise funds for anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination charities. In 2022 and 2021, shirts featured rainbow-coloured numbers on the back.
Not all players have given their support to the campaign.
Last season, Monaco midfielder Mohamed Camara was banned for four matches by the French football league (LFP) after covering up an anti-homophobia message on his shirt using white tape.
The LFP said when confirming that sanction that Camara’s “refusal to carry out one or more actions to raise awareness of the fight against homophobia” was the reason for the ban.
In May 2023, Toulouse left some players out of their squad during the matchday as they did not wish to partake in the anti-homophobia campaign.
In 2021 and 2022, Idrissa Gueye missed both Paris Saint-Germain’s matches when players were asked to wear shirts with rainbow numbers. He was criticised by a number of political figures in France but received support in his native Senegal, where homosexuality is illegal.
(DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images)