Anti-homophobia campaign: what the Professional Football League is planning

The Professional Football League's (LFP) anti-homophobia campaign had not yet begun on Thursday, May 15, when the first controversy emerged: according to information from L'Equipe, which Le Monde can confirm, Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed informed FC Nantes of his refusal to play the final matchday of Ligue 1, Saturday, May 17, as his club fights to stay in the top flight. The reason? He does not wish to be associated with this initiative organized on the International Day Against Homophobia.

The Nantes club has decided to financially sanction its player, who had already boycotted this campaign in 2023 and 2024. A decision by the attacker that discredits the corporation of professional football players and taints the initiative taken by the League, which has regularly faced this type of controversy since it took up the issue in 2019. Each year, it organizes actions on all Ligue 1 pitches in May to fight against this form of discrimination.

This year, the LFP unveiled the outline of its campaign through a simple press release. A briefing was initially planned for Wednesday to present it to the media, but it was ultimately canceled the previous evening. "This is linked to an internal organizational problem and the general news surrounding the League," the LFP explained.

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