Footballers in French football league refuse to play anti-homophobia match

Toulouse’s Zakaria Aboukhlal and Nantes’ Mostafa Mohamed were omitted from the teamsheet for a French football league Ligue 1 clash between the two clubs on Sunday, May 14 after refusing to participate in a campaign against homophobia, which saw all teams in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 wearing shirts with numbers in rainbow colours.

Moroccan Aboukhlal, a regular starter for Toulouse, sat out the game because he refused to wear the jersey, according to La Depeche du Midi newspaper, which added that Logan Costa and Fares Chaibi also did not want to play although they were both named on the teamsheet.

Mohamed, an Egyptian, also refused to wear the jersey, a source close to his Nantes team said.

Guingamp’s Senegalese defender Donatien Gomis ruled himself out of the Ligue 2 clash with Sochaux on Saturday for the same reason, club sources there said.

As part of the elite French leagues’ annual anti-homophobia campaign, the rainbow-adorned shirts will be sold at auction with the proceeds going to three charities active in fighting LGBTQ+ discrimination.