PARIS — Monaco midfielder Mohamed Kamara has been suspended for four games by the French league for covering up an anti-homophobic message written on the team’s shirt during the club’s final league game of the season.
The French league’s disciplinary committee said in a statement late on Thursday that it had sanctioned the Malian player for refusing to “carry out one or more actions to raise awareness in the fight against homophobia.”
The French league held its annual anti-discrimination campaign at the weekend’s final match, with each team wearing a badge with the word “homophobia” crossed out. Camara covered his badge with tape during his team’s 4-0 win over Nantes and also missed the pre-match group photo in which all players stood in front of a banner with the same message.
France’s Sports Minister Amelie Oudea Castella described Camara’s behaviour as “unacceptable” and called for “firm sanctions” against both the player and his club.
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Monaco coach Adi Hütter said after the match that the club supported the league’s initiative and that Kamara’s actions were a “personal choice”.
This marks the fourth year in a row that French professional clubs have been invited to wear rainbow numbers, armbands or patches on their uniforms in support of the LGBTQ movement, with similar controversies erupting every year.
In 2022, Senegal-born Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye, then playing for PSG, refused to take part in a match in which players were required to wear rainbow-coloured shirts. Senegalese President Macky Sall publicly supported Gueye, saying “his religious beliefs must be respected.”
Last year Nantes fined Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed for similar reasons and he again sat out Sunday’s game, while Kamara also sat out the same match last season.
