Nantes fines Egyptian striker for refusing to wear rainbow numbers on jersey

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FILE - Nantes’ Mostafa Mohamed celebrates after scoring his side’s opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Nantes and Monaco in Nantes, France, Sunday, April 9, 2023. French soccer club Nantes fined striker Mostafa Mohamed for refusing to play against Toulouse on Sunday, when teams across the country wore rainbow-colored numbers on their jerseys this weekend to support the fight against homophobia. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez, File)
 
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Nantes has fined striker Mostafa Mohamed for refusing to play against Toulouse on Sunday, when teams across France wore rainbow-colored numbers on their jerseys to support the fight against homophobia.

Nantes said in a statement on Monday that the Egypt striker was fined an undisclosed amount which will be donated to a French charity group called SOS HOMOPHOBIA.

“First of all, Nantes would like to repeat its commitment in the fight against homophobia,” the club said on its website. “Mostafa Mohamed, a striker for FC Nantes, refused to play in the match against Toulouse for personal reasons. To this end, the Nantes directors decided to punish him financially.”

Nantes added it will continue to “fight against all forms of discrimination, as it always has done.”

Teams in the top two divisions wore rainbow-colored numbers on their jerseys over the weekend for the third consecutive season.

Toulouse forward Zakaria Aboukhlal was left out of his team for the same game after also refusing to wear the jersey. Aboukhlal gave his reasons in social media on Sunda y.

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