LIGUE 1: Toulouse players dropped for refusing to support LGBT campaign

Several Toulouse players were omitted from the Ligue 1 match against Nantes on Sunday due to their disagreement with a league-wide display of support against homophobia.

The gesture was organized in recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia on May 17.

According to a statement from the club, the concerned players expressed their disagreement with their image being associated with the rainbow colors representing the LGBT movement.

Toulouse ultimately decided to exclude these players from the match, respecting their individual choices.

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During this weekend’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches, players wore shirts with rainbow-colored numbers and posed with banners, while coaches and officials donned rainbow armbands.

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Toulouse forward Zakaria Aboukhlal, 23, announced his decision not to participate in the game, stating his belief in the importance of respect, including respect for his own personal beliefs.

In another match, Brest secured a 1-0 victory against Auxerre, putting them four points ahead of the relegation zone. Although Nantes remains in the relegation zone, their draw with Toulouse allowed them to close the gap to just one point behind Auxerre.

Brest coach Eric Roy criticized the scheduling of the campaign against homophobia, stating that while everyone is entitled to express their opinions, some players clearly have reservations. He suggested that the campaign could have been organized in a different month, rather than during a critical period when teams are battling to avoid relegation.

It is worth noting that in the previous season, current Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye refused to play for Paris St-Germain when a similar gesture was made by Ligue 1.