Ex-Man Utd star Nemanja Matic handed ban after covering anti-homophobia sign
Former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic has been handed a four-match ban for covering up an anti-homophobia logo on his Lyon shirt. The midfielder joined the French side 18 months ago from Ligue 1 rivals Rennes.
Matic has been a key player for Lyon, even captaining them on occasions. He was brought on as a late substitute in their final day triumph over Angers, which helped them secure qualification for the Europa League.
The final day was Ligue 1's dedicated period to show support for the LGBT+ community. The games coincided with International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on 17 May.
Clubs put a rainbow patch on their shirt sleeves, as well as a symbol which had the word 'homophobia' in French crossed out with a red line and 'football' underneath. Matic appeared on the pitch with a piece of white material covering the rainbow logo.
The 36-year-old was blasted for the move by France's sports minister Marie Barsacq, who said: ' Football has a massive platform, and the (French Football) Federation is determined to put this issue on the clubs' and supporters' agenda.
'Homophobic insults and behaviour are no longer acceptable. Society has evolved, and the language in football must change with it. There's a full range of sanctions available, and they must be applied.'
He was subsequently charged by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), which governs French football. Their disciplinary committee have now confirmed the punishment, with Matic handing a two-match ban, with a further two matches suspended.
He has also agreed to participate in an awareness-raising campaign on the fight against homophobia within six months. An LFP statement read: 'After hearing the player, the Commission sanctioned him with a two-match suspension and a two-match suspended sentence.
'Furthermore, the Commission offered the player—who immediately agreed during the hearing—to participate, within six months, in an awareness-raising campaign on the fight against homophobia in football, in collaboration with an expert association working alongside the LFP throughout the season with clubs and supporters.'
Le Havre's Ahmed Hassan has been handed the same punishment after also covering up the rainbow logo on his shirt. Homophobia remains a huge problem in football, with Josh Cavallo, the first-ever top-flight star to come out, urging players to stand with LGBT+ people.
'The thing I would say to them is this could be your brother, it could be your mum or dad or sister who is experiencing this or going through this. To see them taking it away is bascially saying they're not included or accepted,' he told Mirror Football in an exclusive interview last year.
'So it is quite hurtful. They don't realise how impactful that could be to the LGBT+ community. It breaks my heart every time I see something like that. It's not on. If you're a football player, you have certain responsibilities.
'There's certain things you can or can't say on the pitch because you'll get sent off. There's things you can and can't do in the public right as a professional athlete. So doing that for me, is disgusting.
'It's just saying you don't like associating yourself with a certain group or people, which for me is my life. So, I find it quite disgusting. Everyone wants to be your friend, everyone wants to be an ally, but when it comes to the times we to speak up together, or need support, that's when we count on our allies.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
22 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Russell Martin prepares to let us all in on real Rangers thoughts - reactions speak louder than words
After spearing his flops at Fir Park, now head coach has to go again in Europe Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Reactions speak louder than words. The Rangers camp have come out with all the right noises since head coach Russell Martin filleted his players at the weekend and now he - and the Ibrox fanbase - will be watching closely to see how they perform against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday night. This Champions League third qualifying round tie is an important one for Rangers. They are already assured a place in the Europa League, but reaching the play-offs - where they will face either Club Brugge or Salzburg - would be an excellent achievement given the state of flux, and indeed tumult, the team is in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Martin has presided over three competitive matches: one win, two draws, a trio of unconvincing performances. Had Panathinaikos not been so meek in front of goal, it would be them preparing to face the Czechs. Rangers showed admirable fortitude in the last round, only to let their mask slip and revert to type with a sloppy display at Motherwell in the Premiership. As Martin said, they were lucky to draw 1-1. Rangers trudge off after the 1-1 draw with Motherwell. | SNS Group Old habits die hard. Martin alluded to that in his frank post-match interview at Fir Park. If that is the case, though, then we can expect a strong performance from Rangers against Plzen. Europe is where they have excelled over the past three seasons. In that time, no manager has been quite as honest as Martin. His assessment of the squad chimed with many supporters and onlookers. The coach questioned work-rate, attention to instructions and attitudes. Will some his players have dropped their 'egos'? Will they be given a chance to? Martin's team selection for the visit of Plzen will be telling. He made his ninth signing of an already frantic transfer window on Monday afternoon when Finland internationalist Oliver Antman arrived from Go Ahead Eagles. Rangers are believed to have spent upwards of £3 million for the winger, who will surely come in on the right flank. Depending on registration, he may not play on Tuesday, but should enhance the Ibrox forward line in time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Plzen are without their star man Rangers will hope they can unleash him on a play-off. Viktoria Plzen are a handy European outfit with recent experience of going deep in the Europa and Conference Leagues, but they are not a fearsome outfit. They arrive in Glasgow diminished after Lyon brokered a £7.5m deal for their star midfielder Pavel Sulc. Plzen came back from two goals down to overcome Swiss side Servette in the previous round, and last year defeated Hearts home and away in the Europa League play-off. The goal at Ibrox is to take a lead over to Plzen next week - the beer capital of the Czech Republic. Ibrox has been a fortress for Rangers on the continent and regardless of the angst and rancour from Saturday, the players will need their backing. In return, Martin and the fans want to see a proper response. Many of this squad are dining in the last-chance saloon. The number of new signings will hit double digits by the end of the month. Lyall Cameron and Cyriel Dessers were two in a minority to win praise from the manager after Motherwell and they are both pressing for starts. Who doesn't make the starting XI will be just as revealing. Cameron was the Rangers player chosen to do pre-match media duties, which is a clue in itself. 'We know Saturday wasn't good enough,' the midfielder said. 'I want to come on and help the team to win. We need to win games. We all understand the manager was justified at the weekend as we were not good enough. We need to show that this has motivated us to be better.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scottish Sun
22 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers UCL opponents Viktoria Plzen set to lose star player as multi-million pound man's absence ‘a huge loss'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) VIKTORIA PLZEN boss Miroslav Koubek admitted losing star player Pavel Sulc before their Rangers showdown is a huge blow. The attacking midfielder was last night finalising an expected £7.5 million switch to French giants Olympique Lyon. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Miroslav Koubek will be without star man Pavel Sulc for the Rangers tie Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Sulc has played 167 times for Viktoria Plzen, racking up 78 goal contributions Credit: Alamy The Czech Republic international played a key role as Plzen beat Servette 3-1 last week to book their trip to Glasgow tonight. He failed to travel to Scotland and gutted Koubek said: "It's definitely going to affect us. "We have to work without Sulc and that's a big loss. "He's been absolutely amazing for us for the last three years in attack. "We have to deal with it and sort it out as a team. "What's important now is the strength of motivation for other players who in the past haven't played because he was on the pitch. "I'm hoping these other players will now have a chance to show their potential." Like the whole of Scottish football, Koubek couldn't help but pick up on Russell Martin's blast at his players on Saturday evening after Gers' disappointing display at Fir Park. Experienced boss Koubek, 73, believes the Light Blues gaffer was simply firing up his troops for tonight's Champions League duel. Koubek said: "I noticed some things in the media. Players are running the Rangers dressing room - Martin knows EXACTLY what he's doing "However, they have beaten Panathinaikos in the previous round, which is a really great success. "OK, they didn't have that success in their first league game. "But I wonder if the coach did it in a cunning way to motivate the players more for this match against us." Now in his third stint as Plzen boss, Koubek admits it will be a special moment in his lengthy coaching career to lead a side out at Ibrox. And while they have the same failsafe that Gers have of guaranteed Europa League football, the former Sparta Prague goalkeeper is still aiming for the Champions League proper. Koubek said: "I'm 74 years old soon and in my whole career I was looking up to teams like Glasgow Rangers. "I have seen them on TV and witnessed the atmosphere at Ibrox. "I never imagined I would lead a club like Viktoria Plzen, which I respect so much, against a team like Glasgow Rangers. "Yes, we have a certain guarantee now in terms of the Europa League. "But we have to be ambitious and the goal of every sportsman is to reach the highest level." Plzen skipper Lukas Hejda admits it will be strange to take to the field without talisman Sulc to drive the team forward. Like his gaffer Koulec, the 35-year-old stopper is determined to reach the latter stages of the competition. Hejda said: "I don't know how it's going to be without Sulc. "He has played in 90 percent of our games in the last three years, so it's difficult to know how different it will be. 3 "I would say it's easier now we know we have a Europa League spot guaranteed. "But as a team we want to fight for the opportunity to go to the Champions League. "That is our aim and we are here to get the best result we can." Hejda has already tasted football on Scottish soil after helping Plzen see off Hearts at Tynecastle in their Europa League play-off last season. The Czech international is hoping for a similar result tonight but thinks his pals face a much sterner task at Ibrox. Hejda said: "We have one win from Scotland already and we would definitely like to add a second one! "However, we can't compare the matches because the teams are very different. "The 3-1 win against Servette in the last round was a great result for us away from home. "But we can't expect anything like that here, because Rangers have different qualities." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Herald Scotland
33 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Rangers Champions League tie picked for live TV by BBC
Russell Martin's men host Plzen tomorrow evening, with the game scheduled to kick off at 7.45pm. The game will be broadcasted on their BBC Scotland channel. If [[Rangers]] progress, they will face RB Salzburg or Club Brugge in the play-off. Defeat would lead to dropping down into the Europa League. New signing Oliver Antman could be registered in time to play. The winger has signed for a fee of around £3m, although, the agreement could rise to £4m. Martin said: "Thelo [Aasgaard] and Hamza [Igamane]won't make it in time for tomorrow evening. "Hopefully, Antman will be registered in time, but we'll need to wait and see." Read more: The Beeb will also beam Dundee United's next European match. Jim Goodwin's side are in Austria on Thursday as they face the tough task of going up against Rapid Vienna in their Europa Conference League qualifier. Should the Arabs come through the tie against the Austrians, they would be up against the winners of AIK Stockholm v FC Gyor in the play-off round.
