Mostafa Mohamed fined for Missing LGBTQIA+ Support Match
On Sunday afternoon, FC Nantes faced Toulouse in an away game. Mirroring their previous encounter in the French Cup final, resulting in a goalless draw. This outcome added complexity to their standing on the Ligue 1 table. However, the absence of striker Mostafa Mohamed from the announced matchday squad bewildered club fans, as the reasons behind it remained unknown.
Nantes has imposed a monetary penalty on striker Mostafa Mohamed. This was for his decision to abstain from participating in the match against Toulouse on Sunday. The game saw teams throughout France wear rainbow-colored numbers on their jerseys as a display of solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community.
In an official statement released on Monday, Nantes revealed that the Egyptian striker had been fined an undisclosed amount. This which will be subsequently donated to SOS HOMOPHOBIA, a French charitable organization.
“First of all, Nantes would like to repeat its commitment in the fight against homophobia”, the club proclaimed on its website. Mostafa Mohamed, a prominent figure within FC Nantes, chose not to partake in the encounter against Toulouse for personal reasons. As a consequence, the management at Nantes has elected to impose a financial penalty upon him.
Nantes further emphasized its unwavering dedication to combating all forms of discrimination, as it has consistently done in the past.
During the weekend, teams competing in the top two divisions of French football donned jerseys embellished with rainbow-colored numbers for the third successive season.
Zakaria Aboukhlal, a forward for Toulouse, was similarly excluded from the game after refusing to don the rainbow jersey. On Sunday, Aboukhlal elucidated his motivations behind this decision via social media.
