The meeting between Toulouse and Nantes had a bitter taste, Sunday May 14, during the 35th day of Ligue 1. On the lawn, several players were missing, including the Toulousains Zakaria Aboukhlal, Moussa Diarra and Saïd Hamulic and the striker Nantes Mostafa Mohamed. These players refused to participate in the day against homophobia launched by the Professional Football League and to wear a rainbow flocked jersey around the slogan: “Gays or heterosexuals, we all wear the same jersey. » These jerseys are then resold at auction for the benefit of the associations Foot Ensemble, PanamBoyz & Girlz United and SOS Homophobia.
“Players in the professional squad have expressed their disagreement with the association of their image with rainbow colors representing the LGBT movement. Although respectful of the individual choices of its players, and after numerous exchanges, the TFC has chosen to dismiss the said players for the meeting”, informed the Toulouse club shortly before the meeting in a statement.
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“Given my roots, my culture, the importance of my convictions and beliefs, it was not possible for me to participate in this campaign”wrote the Mostafa Mohamed on Instagram on Sunday evening.
“Homophobia is a crime”
In addition to the players, coaches have also drawn the wrath of LGBT associations demonstrating a systemic problem. At a press conference, Brest coach Eric Roy was quick to complain about the absence of the Toulouse players, but not for moral reasons, because Nantes is playing for maintenance against Brest. “You shouldn’t do it in the last 3 games where the survival of the clubs is at stake. You have to do it in December or September.”estimated Eric Roy judging that “everyone was free to their own opinions”.
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” Is it normal ? Is it fair? No, it is not fair and it is a responsibility of the League to have placed this day at this time in the last games”he dared.
For Bruno Genesio, the Rennes coach, this day of the fight against homophobia was not ” not necessary “. “I’m not sure it’s necessary to have a day against homophobia. I think we are all aware of this and it is not worth displaying it all the time”, he said at a press conference. The Rennes coach also believes that “everyone is free to think what they want”.
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A sentence that made Julien Pontes jump, spokesperson for the “Red direct” collective which fights against homophobia in football. “This Mr. Genesio is obviously not even aware that homophobia is a crime like racism or anti-Semitism. It is extremely worrying to see that coaches are at this level of ignorance and contempt for the LGBT cause., he reacts to the “Obs”. Then he adds: “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. “We regret the lightness of the words of Eric Roy and Bruno Genesio”affirms Cécile Chartrain, member of the feminist collective Les Dégommeuses, pointing to the “lack of general awareness of the football community” on the subject.
“We are going to create a right to homophobia in professional football”
For Julien Pontes, this « fiasco » qualified “pinkwashing operation” was “completely predictable”. Indeed, last year the Senegalese international and former PSG player Idrissa Gana Gueye had already created controversy by refusing to wear the flocked jersey. “At the time we warned: “Be careful if the case is badly managed, we will create a right to homophobia among professional football players. And that’s what happened.” continues the spokesperson for the collective.
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“We want the Minister of Sports, who is the boss, to put an end to this masquerade, this humbug and to review prevention and sanctions from top to bottom”, says Julien Pontes taking the example of reports during homophobic songs in stadiums which should be automatic. For Cécile Chartrain, prevention must be strengthened with players, coaches and executives “through long-term awareness-raising actions linking the fight against homophobia and the fight against all other forms of discrimination”.
According to her, if these players refuse to wear a jersey with rainbow flocking today it is also “because the fight against homophobia as it presents itself through this kind of initiative appears as a top-down injunction emanating from white and bourgeois leaders, who moreover neglect the fight against racism”.
The collective Les Dégommeuses thus proposes to rely on LGBT associations from working-class neighborhoods to fight more effectively against homophobia.
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Sanctions
Monday, within FC Nantes, it was said that Mostafa Mohamed was going to be sanctioned “financially but not sportingly”, according to AFP. The Minister of Sports had shown himself in favor of the sanctions on Sunday evening in the program “Stade 2” on FranceTV. “I think it is the responsibility of the clubs, with a dialogue with their players, to take sanctions”, supported Amélie Oudéa-Castera.
« I deeply regret that we do not have 100% of players in France who find themselves in this message of non-discrimination. »
For his part, government spokesman Oliver Véran judged « nul » et “anachronistic” the choice of these players. “It’s anachronistic: we live in a time today (…) where everyone is free to love each other as they wish”, he pointed out. Asked about the need to impose sanctions on recalcitrant players, Olivier Véran explained that if he was “Coach or manager of a football team, I would say to my players: ‘it’s important to do this, that’s the message you’re sending to young people'”.
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Contacted by “Obs”, the LFP did not respond immediately.
