Toulouse players refuse to wear shirts against homophobia

Four Toulouse players refused to enter the field in the match against Nantes, last Sunday (14), for the French Championship. The reason for the refusal, according to Toulouse itself, was the action against homophobia promoted in the round by the French Football Federation.

According to the French press, the four players who did not enter the pitch were Moroccan Zakaria Aboukhlal, Malian Moussa Diarra, Bosnian Said Hamulic and Algerian Farès Chaibi.

Before the matches of the 35th round of the competition, the following message was promoted in the Federation’s campaign: “Gay or straight, we all wear the same uniform”. The action was part of a tribute to the world day against homophobia and transphobia, which will be next Wednesday (17).

The campaign before the games even used the flag with the colors of the rainbow, symbol LGBTQIA+, which was also stamped on the armbands of captains and on the uniforms of the teams.

“Players from the professional squad expressed their disapproval of the association of their images with the colors of the rainbow that represent the LGBT movement. Despite respecting the individual choice of players, Toulouse opted to dismiss the said athletes for this Sunday’s game” , says the statement from the French club.

Striker Aboukhlal justified the decision not to enter the field. “Respect is a value I hold very dear. It extends to others, but it also encompasses respect for my own personal beliefs. So I don’t think I’m the best fit to be part of this campaign.”

Toulouse v Nantes had bomb threat

In addition to the players’ refusal to enter the field, the match had yet another incident. The start of the clash was delayed by an hour after local authorities received a bomb threat outside the stadium in Toulouse.

Authorities followed security procedures and no explosives were found. The result on the pitch turned out to be a goalless draw.