Toulouse and Nantes players refused to wear anti-homophobic rainbow shirts

Some players from Ligue 1 sides Toulouse and Nantes refused to play in a league-wide stand against homophobia in French football.

In honour of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (May 7), all teams playing in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 wore shirts adorned with rainbow numbers.

Ahead of the Monaco vs Lille draw, players were pictured with a banner that read ‘Gay or straight, we all wear the same jersey’.

However, not everyone was happy with the discrimination-fighting project.

It’s been revealed that a Toulouse player, a Nantes striker and a defender from Guingamp apparently refused to compete in the league this weekend as they didn’t want to be seen in a technicolour football shirt.

According to the French newspaper, La Depeche du Midi, Toulouse's Zakaria Aboukhlal and Nantes' Mostafa Mohamed didn’t want their names associated with an anti-homophobia movement.

According to L’Equipe, Mohamed, the Egyptian international apparently informed his club that he would not be appearing just thirty minutes before team announcements were made.

Following the 0-0 Ligue 1 draw between Toulouse and Nantes, the striker tweeted: “I did not take part in today’s Toulouse - Nantes match.

“I do not wish to engage in any controversy, but I feel obliged to express my position.

“Respecting differences means respecting others, respecting oneself, respecting what will be shared, and what will remain different,” the tweet continued.

“I respect all differences. I respect all beliefs and convictions… Considering my roots, my culture, and the importance of my convictions and beliefs, it was not possible for me to participate in this campaign.

The 25-year-old added that he hoped fans could respect his decision.

A club statement from Toulouse revealed that a handful of players “expressed their disagreement with the association of their image with the rainbow colours representing the LGBT movement.”

Je n’ai pas pris part aujourd’hui au match Toulouse - Nantes.

Je ne souhaite pas du tout polémiquer mais je me dois de faire part de ma position.

Le respect des différences, ce serait le respect de l'autre, le respect de soi, le respect de ce qui sera mis en commun et de ce…

— Mostafa Mohamed (@mmostafa_11) May 14, 2023

It continued to say: “While respecting the individual choices of its player, and after numerous exchanges, Toulouse Football Club has chosen to leave the said players out of the match.

As well as Aboukhlal and Mohamed, Guingamp’s Donatien Gomis also refused to wear the rainbow jersey.

According to the Daily Mail, club sources said that the 28-year-old Senegalese defender wanted no part to play in the annual French anti-homophobia campaign.

He was cut from the squad and did not contribute to his Ligue 2 club’s 2-1 defeat against Pau.

Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was similarly dropped last year, when he refused to wear the rainbow colours for a Paris Saint-Germain game.

However, it isn’t all doom and gloom as there was a huge handful of high-profile players who did opt to support the anti-homophobia gesture.

PSG striker Kylian Mbappe, Lille’s Angel Gomes and Lionel Messi all wore the jersey.

All the shirts from this weekend’s Ligue 1 and League 2 games are now set to be auctioned, with money donated to various French charities that fight against LGBTQ discrimination.