Former Chelsea and Manchester United footballer Nemanja Matic faces a ban after he covered an anti-homophobia message on his kit with a piece of tape.

On Saturday (17 May), clubs across France wore rainbow-coloured logos to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) and raise awareness about the fight against homophobia in football.

However, Serbian midfielder Matic – who currently plays for Ligue 1 side Lyon – seemingly opposed the awareness initiative and chose to cover the logo on his shirt sleeve with a strip of white tape.

Fans quickly spotted the tape when Matic came on as a substitute in the second-half of Lyon’s match against Angers, which the side went on to win 2-0. It is also visible in post-match images he shared on social media.

Matic is not the first player to protest the anti-homophobia campaign as last season then-Monaco midfielder Mohamed Camara similarly taped over the symbol, receiving a four-match ban in response.

At the time, Camara – a Mali international – also opted out of the photograph where plays stood behind a banner supporting the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said the ban was down to his “refusal during the season to carry out one or more awareness-raising actions in the fight against homophobia”.

Nantes forward Mostafa Mohamed has also chosen not to engage with the initiative and did not play on Saturday as part of the team’s lineup against Montpellier.

“Everyone carries their own story, culture and sensitivity,’ Mohamed was quoted by the Metro as previously saying.

“Living together also means recognising that diversity can be expressed differently depending on the person.

“I believe in mutual respect. The respect we owe others, but also the respect we owe to ourselves and our beliefs.

“For me, there are deep-rooted values linked to my background and my beliefs that make my participation in this initiative difficult.”

In the UK earlier this season England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi courted controversy for writing “I Love Jesus” on his rainbow-coloured captain’s armband during the side’s match against Newcastle United on 30 November.

Guehi – who is the son of a minister and has spoken openly about his Christian faith – then subsequently wrote “Jesus [heart symbol] You” on his armband for Crystal Palace’s following match against Ipswich Town on 2 December.

The armbands are worn by team captains as part of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign.

At the time, Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy was also criticised for refusing to wear the armband altogether.

The club later confirmed that Morsy, a practising Muslim, refused to wear the armband on religious grounds.

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