Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic slapped with ban for taping over anti-homophobia sign
The former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder hid the slogan in Lyon's 2-0 win over Angers on May 17, which had been embroidered on his sleeve as part of a campaign by Ligue 1.
The campaign, now in its fifth year, usually sees players wear rainbow-coloured symbols on their kit, with banners also displayed in stadiums to raise awareness to the issues surrounding homophobia.
However, Matic drew the ire of the league after using white tape to conceal the message and has now been dealt with a two- match ban, as well as a further two matches suspended.
This is despite the fact, as things stand, Matic will no longer be a Lyon player come the end, with his contract set to expire and no agreement over an extension being in place.
Matic was not the only player to be hit with punishment for taping over the anti-homophobia message, with Le Havre striker Ahmed Hassan doing the same. He has also been handed the same suspension.
This acts as the latest form of resistance the LGBTQ+ awareness campaign has received over the years, with numerous players having taken issue with the display on religious grounds.
Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed refused to take part in the final match of the season due to his beliefs as a Muslim but escaped any ban.
Speaking on why he opted to avoid the initiative, Mohamed wrote on Instagram: '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.'
Former Monaco midfielder Mohamed Camara was last year dealt a four-year ban for doing the same as Matic and Hassan in taping over the anti-homophobia logo.
It acts as the second time Matic has hit the headlines in recent months after he got into a spat with Man United stopper Andre Onana for branding him 'one of the worst goalkeepers' in the club's history.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
A Tottenham Hotspur legend forever – Son Heung-min hails sacked Ange Postecoglou
Son Heung-min hailed Ange Postecoglou as a 'Tottenham Hotspur legend' as the club's supporters' trust expressed 'concern' with another change in manager. Postecoglou ended Spurs' 17-year wait for silverware with Europa League success over Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21, but it failed to earn the Australian a third season. A club statement on Friday announcing Postecoglou's departure highlighted a woeful Premier League campaign where Tottenham finished 17th, which is their lowest top-flight finish since relegation in 1977. Captain Son was one of several Spurs players to pay tribute to Postecoglou, writing on Instagram: 'Gaffer. You've changed the trajectory of this club. Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties. — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 6, 2025 'You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did. 'You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it's had in decades. We will have those memories for life. 'You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career. It's been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close, I am a better player and a better person because of you. 'Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate.' Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was Postecoglou's first signing and said: 'You are not only a top manager, you are an incredible person to work for, a real leader, a mentor, and someone I'll always look up to. 'What we achieved together will stay in the history books. Wishing you nothing but success as I know you will go on to achieve more and more. Thank you, Boss.' Dutch defender Micky van de Ven added: 'Gaffer, thank you for everything! Believed in me from the first day I arrived at the club. 'Many ups and downs in the last two years but you kept believing in us and kept pushing us. Big part of the success from the club this year, and forever grateful that u made me part of it. All the best.' Striker Dominic Solanke signed for Spurs last summer in a £65million deal. He said: 'Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful club, thank you for bringing us a wonderful trophy. Everyone who loves the Spurs will remember that Big Ange always bags trophies in his second season '(I) won't ever forget the convo we had before I signed and we achieved a dream! All the best in your next adventure.' Right-back Pedro Porro insisted the 59-year-old would 'always be celebrated', writing: 'Thank you for everything, boss. 'I'll always be grateful for the way you led us, defended us, and kept us going through all the highs and lows. Above everything, you gave us one of the greatest moments in the club's history and for that, you'll always be celebrated.' Forward Richarlison added: 'Everyone who loves the Spurs will remember that Big Ange always bags trophies in his second season.' On behalf of our members and Spurs fans everywhere we would like to thank Ange Postecoglou for his passion and commitment during his two years at Spurs. The vast majority of fans will love Ange forever because of the incredible moments he gave us in the Europa League,… — THST (@THSTOfficial) June 6, 2025 The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust thanked Postecoglou for an 'amazing night' in Bilbao but acknowledged league results were a 'long way short' of expectation. 'Our concern now is that it appears we will have yet another change of direction and that this is something that is becoming a habit since we said goodbye to Mauricio Pochettino in 2019,' a THST statement read. 'We can only hope that the right decision has been made and that the new manager is fully supported by the board and everyone at the club to build on the cup success that Ange has lain. 'He will need the finances to build a strong squad that can challenge simultaneously on many fronts. We wish whoever is appointed well. Spurs fans have had a taste of glory and we don't want to wait another 17 years for more.' Brentford boss Thomas Frank is reported to be the leading contender to take over, with Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, Fulham manager Marco Silva, Burnley head coach Scott Parker and Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth also linked with the post.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
The countdown is on for the Club World Cup, but does anyone care?
The countdown is on. It's now just seven days until the start of the competition that will answer the question on everyone's lips; who is the best football club in the world? Is it the Chelsea side that limped to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League this season? Or perhaps Porto, who triumphantly battled to third in this year's Liga Portugal? If stylish catenaccio football is more your thing then look to Juventus, who finished fourth in Serie A. Not convinced by those European giants? Why not cast your gaze further afield to Auckland City FC, the team that currently sit behind Birkenhead United in the New Zealand Regional Leagues Northern League. Over 29 days, 32 teams will play out 64 games before the best team in the world is crowned and while we can't know who that will be yet, we know who it won't be. It won't be Premier League champions Liverpool, nor the winners of La Liga, Barcelona. Not even the Serie A champions Napoli, none of whom have been invited. But hey, there's Inter Miami who will play because, well, they have Lionel Messi. FIFA's efforts to expand the Club World Cup from a small mid-season distraction to a fully-fledged summer tournament has left many people unconvinced by the need for it and FIFA's motivation behind it all. Fundamentally, taking the Club World Cup from an annual six team kickabout between the winners of the six continental confederation tournaments to the bloated unwieldy structure facing us this summer is about money and influence. FIFA have long looked enviously at UEFA and the Champions League, wondering how they could claim a slice of that pie. With the World Cup only being held every four years, there's a long-standing desire within the organisation to come up with another huge money-spinning event and for them to exert a measure of influence on some of the biggest clubs in the world. But how do you create a major tournament from scratch? Well throwing a lot of money at it certainly helps. FIFA have put a pot of $1billion to be shared about the 32 teams with the winners taking home a pay cheque for $125million, while $525million of that billion will be shared out between the clubs just for turning up. That kind of money rivals the Champions League payouts and with this year's winners Paris Saint-Germain netting roughly $165million, FIFA have ensured that the Club World Cup is too rich for the invited clubs to ignore. Throwing this kind of cash around in an attempt to grow interest and legitimacy within the tournament is the only real move FIFA could have made but there's questions over their long-term ability to offer such a prize fund. The tournament looks likely to run at a loss for the organisers, who struggled to drum up interest among broadcasters when it came to the rights sales. With reports claiming that FIFA had initially set a target of broadcast revenue of $4billion, they were unable to attract bids anywhere near that mark and eventually agreed a deal with online streaming platform DAZN for the rights. Ticket sales have hardly been encouraging either, with The Athletic reporting on Wednesday that FIFA has been forced to slash prices for the tournament's opening fixture between Messi's Inter Miami and Egyptian team Al-Ahly. Soccer remains very much down the pecking order of sports in the US and with local fans shrugging their shoulders and a dynamic ticket price structure in place, the cost of admission to the tournament opener has slumped from $349 in December to just $55.75. Meanwhile a ticket for newly crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian outfit Botafogo at the 90,000-seater Rose Bowl can be had for $33.45. Even that ticketing firesale may not be enough to spare organisers the sights of thousands of empty seats throughout the tournament. While major international soccer tournaments usually attract huge numbers of supporters from abroad, the Club World Cup looks likely to struggle, thanks in no small part to the policies of Donald Trump's government. FIFA's top brass would have had their collective heads in their hands on Wednesday when Trump announced a new travel ban on 12 nations, further deepening the sense of hostility felt at the border for travellers into the US. With teams from Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco among those involved in the Club World Cup, travelling numbers are going to take a hit with supporters not wanting to risk disappearing into a private detention facility. Even fans currently residing in the US, particularly those of Mexican teams who would usually fill stadiums, may think twice before turning up en masse, given the seemingly never-ending footage of Trump's masked ICE agents snatching people off the street. We're left with the very real prospect of games being played in mostly empty stadiums by players frustrated about being there, concerned by burnout and fatigue related injuries that will come from going straight into a 32-team club tournament after a gruelling season. The footballer's union FIFPRO has been against the expanded Club World Cup since its announcement, launching a legal claim against FIFA over the unilateral creation of the tournament, citing concerns over player welfare. With players like Real Madrid star Kylian Mpappe speaking out about the lack of a meaningful break between the end of the season and the start of the tournament, there's the prospect of some players featuring in more than 80 games over the course of the season. Separately MLS team Seattle Sounders have been protesting their involvement in the tournament over what they say is a lack of fairness on player payments, wearing "Club World Ca$h Grab" t-shirts during their warm-up in a recent league game. Under the standing MLS collective bargaining agreement between the league, their bonus for the Club World Cup is capped at $1m for the entire team, meaning that players are likely to only receive 10% of the money their club get for their participation in the tournament. Indeed it seems that the only people truly happy with the event are club accountants and moneymen, adding to the sense of grubbiness surrounding the entire project. Football at the highest level has always been beholden to big money, but FIFA's newest innovation really lays that avarice bare. It's no coincidence that Real Madrid were willing to spend €10million on bringing Trent Alexander-Arnold to the club a month earlier than they had originally planned, given the financial incentives on offer. We have fans that won't be there, players that don't want to be there and clubs that are only there for the money. Despite all that there's still the chance that the Club World Cup could capture the public imagination. With no other major male international sporting event this summer, FIFA have timed the tournament to give them a captive audience. The early stages of the competition may struggle to attract eyeballs but as it progresses there is the prospect of some enticing fixtures. The clash between PSG and Atletico Madrid on 15 June is one of the earlier highlights while Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors meet a few days later in Miami. Manchester City and Real Madrid could easily meet in the first knockout round as could Bayern Munich and Chelsea. As the tournament gets into the higher stake games, we'll see just how serious the European teams are taking it. Gianni Infantino and his crew will be eager for the big stars to line out but with the tournament kicking off just two weeks after the end of the European season, they may have to wait sometime to see the household names start. FIFA are desperate for the Club World Cup to be a success and given everything they've invested in it, they need this tournament to start strongly and shake off the negative sentiment surrounding it. Whether that's a realistic prospect remains to be seen.
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Chelsea ‘have ambitious Christopher Nkunku swap transfer for Euro 2024 winner turned down by Barcelona'
BARCELONA have turned down an ambitious swap offer from Chelsea to sign highly-rated midfielder Fermin Lopez, according to reports. It's claimed that the Blues approached 5 Chelsea have reportedly offered Christopher Nkunku to Barcelona as part of an ambitious swap transfer Credit: Getty 5 The Blues have tried to sign Fermin Lopez Credit: AFP A report from popular Spanish football show El Chiringuito de Jugones, claims that However, Barcelona officials have outright rejected the approach, with manager Barcelona are interested in bringing in a new forward this summer, but are thought to consider Liverpool winger Nkunku, 27, READ MORE ON CHELSEA The Frenchman's £52m move to SW6 in 2023 has proved unsuccessful so far, with the former Lopez has also struggled for consistent minutes at Barcelona, falling behind the likes of However, he is still understood to be considered a crucial part of Barcelona's future - picking up 18 goal contributions across all competitions this season. It's claimed that the only way Barcelona would let Lopez go would be if the Euro 2024 winner pushed for an exit himself in search of more regular minutes. Most read in Football 5 5 Join SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford Bridge Lopez will have one eye on making Luis de la Fuente's Spain squad for next summer's World Cup, something he will have to be playing regularly to achieve. Chelsea have already Jadon Sancho shares his Chelsea highlights reel as he says goodbye to fans ahead of Man Utd return But they will need to find a replacement for outgoing loanee Jadon Sancho, who is Chelsea opted against activating a buy clause in Sancho's contract, Meanwhile forgotten Blues goalkeeper The Gunners are 5
