Former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic has received a ban in France after taping over a LGBTQ+ logo during a match.

Matic, who now plays for Lyon, has been hit with a two-game ban after covering the rainbow-coloured Ligue 1 logo on his shirt against Angers on the final day of the season.

Ligue 1 runs an annual anti-homophobia campaign which asks players to wear the imagery and sees banners display in stadiums. 

Another player, Le Havre midfielder Ahmed Hassan, has received the same banafter covering his logo. However, Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed has not been punished after refusing to take part in the final match of the season.

Matic is believed to be a member of the Serbian Orthodox Christian church while Mohamed and Hassan are Muslim.

Matic and Hassan have also been asked to take part in an awareness campaign about homophobia in football, as per HLN. 

Ligue 1’s initiative, which has now seen five editions, has seen a stir annually with players refusing to take part, typically for reasons of faith. 

Matic will miss the beginning of next season after helping his side qualify for the Europa League, with Alexandra Lacazette scoring twice in the 2-0 win over Angers.

The two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea joined Lyon in 2024 and has since been an important player for them.

While he wore the shirt with the pride logo on, he appeared to stick a piece of white card over it. 

Mohamed, who has escaped punishment, cited his ‘deep-rooted values’ as his reason for swerving the match and initiative. 

‘Living together also means recognising that this diversity can be expressed differently from one person to another,’ he wrote on social media. 

‘I believe in mutual respect – the respect we owe others, but also the respect we owe ourselves and our beliefs. As for me, there are deep-rooted values tied to my heritage and my faith, which make participating in this initiative difficult.’ 

Matic, meanwhile, was married in the Serbian Orthodox church and had his children baptised in the community.

France’s sports minister Marie Barsacq said: ‘Football has a huge platform and the federation wants to bring this issue to the attention of clubs and supporters. 

‘Homophobic insults and behavior are no longer acceptable. Society has developed and football must follow suit.’

Homophobic insults were heard and insulting banners deployed at Ligue 1 stadiums this season.

The French league is tracking incidents through reports by match delegates and a reporting platform. 

It says its disciplinary commission has issued 107 fines totalling 229,000 euros ($255,000) this season and imposed three stand or stadium closures in relation to cases involving discriminatory or offensive chants and banners.

Players wore a specially designed jersey featuring a distinctive badge with the words ‘Homophobia Football,’ where the word ‘homophobia’ was symbolically crossed out. 

The official competition badge was also redesigned to feature rainbow colours. In addition, giant banners featuring the logo covered the centre circle before kick-off and stadium announcers addressed the crowd.

Over the years, French clubs have been sanctioned with fines, and the league’s disciplinary commission has ordered the closure of stands. 

This season, matches have been briefly interrupted by referees because of homophobic chanting. Also, French law provides for a jail term of up to one year and a fine of 45,000 euros ($47,600) for anti-gay insults that are made in public.

More to follow.  

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