Day Against Homophobia: Three Ligue 1 Players Sanctioned for Their Behavior
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It should be a match like any other. Yet, every year, the Ligue 1 match, which is held under the banner of Anti-Homophobia Day, causes a stir. This season, several players in the French league have been noted for behavior that runs counter to the values upheld by the event. Three of them, Jonathan Gradit (RC Lens), Nemanja Matic (Olympique Lyonnais) and Ahmed Hassan (Le Havre AC) were sanctioned for their behavior during this day, the Professional Football League (LFP) announced on Wednesday, June 4.
On May 17, during the final matchday of Ligue 1, all teams wore a special badge on the sleeve of their jerseys, at the initiative of the Professional Football League (LFP). The LGBT+ rainbow and the word "homophobia" crossed out in red and replaced by the word "football" accompanied the championship logo. Egyptian Ahmed Hassan and Serbian Nemanja Matic dissociated themselves by choosing to cover this badge with a plaster. They received two-match suspensions and two suspended sentences and agreed to participate within six months in an awareness-raising campaign to combat homophobia in football.
For his part, Frenchman Jonathan Gradit was suspended for one match by the LFP disciplinary committee for making a homophobic insult at half-time in the match against Monaco on the same day. RC Lens had announced that its captain would donate "his ethics bonus […] to the club's foundation." "The club, which is very committed to respect in the broadest sense, and the player, who wanted to apologize in a concrete, sincere and proactive manner, have confirmed the withdrawal of his ethics bonus ," Racing stated. "It is being donated to the club's foundation, which will direct it towards educational and civic initiatives."
For his part, Egyptian FC Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed refused to be selected that day , justifying his decision by his "origins" and his "faith" . The player believes that his refusal to take part "expresses neither rejection nor judgment, only a loyalty to what [builds] him. […] Everyone carries within them a history, a culture, a sensitivity. Living together also means recognizing that this diversity can be expressed differently depending on the person." Not a first: Mostafa Mohamed has adopted this attitude for three years. So, like last year, FC Nantes sanctioned him financially, donating the fine to an association fighting against homophobia.
Libération
