Egyptian footballer, Mostafa Mohamed, has been fined by his club for refusing to wear a shirt with numbers painted in rainbow colors in support of LGBTQ rights.
The striker, who plays for the Nantes club, was excluded from the side for their match against Toulouse after refusing to don shirts supporting the fight against homophobia.
In a statement, the club announced that they had imposed a fine on the 25-year-old footballer, with the amount being donated to a French charity group called SOS Homophobia.
The club official further added that the technical committee had not suspended Mostafa Mohamed from the side for the upcoming Ligue 1 fixtures.
Responding to the development, Mostafa Mohamed said that he respected all differences, beliefs, and convictions and wanted his personal beliefs to be respected as well.
“Given my roots, my culture, and the importance of my convictions and beliefs, it was not possible for me to participate in this campaign. I hope my decision will be respected,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Toulouse club stated that several players refused to play as they did not want their names associated with a league-wide gesture of support against homophobia.
“While respecting the individual choices of its players and after numerous exchanges, Toulouse Football Club has chosen to leave the said players out of the match,” the club added.
