Muslim footballer crudely TAPES OVER anti-homophobia badge on his kit – but is backed by his country’s FA for his ‘religious reasons’ despite club’s anger
- Mohamed Camara covered up an anti-homophobia badge on the final day of Ligue 1
- Monaco has apologized, while the Malian Football Association has supported his position
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Monaco have apologized after one of their players stuck an anti-homophobia badge on his kit and refused to be photographed in front of a pro-LGBTQ+ banner.
France’s Sports Minister has condemned the ‘unacceptable’ behavior of Mohamed Camara, while the Malian Football Federation has expressed its support for their international.
Camara, a Muslim woman, cited “religious reasons” for refusing to take part in the initiative during Monaco’s 4-0 win over Nantes on the final day of the Ligue 1 season.
Clubs put an anti-homophobia logo on the front of their kits and had players pose in front of a banner in support of the ‘International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia’.
‘As an organization we support the competition. I called the CEO of the LFP [governing body of Ligue 1 and 2]Arnaud Rouger, to apologize yesterday morning,” Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro said.
Monaco has apologized after Mohamed Camara refused to take part in a pro-LGBTQ+ campaign
The player refused to stand in front of a banner and covered pro-LGBTQ+ signs on his kit (the banner reads: ‘homosexual or heterosexual, we all wear the same jersey’)
‘Mo has his religious reasons for doing what he did. As you can imagine, it is a very sensitive topic to discuss because we must respect religion.
‘We as a club are very sad about this episode. We hope to demonstrate this and show that we do not support this. We will manage it internally. What happened this year will not happen again. This episode should not damage the club’s reputation.
‘It does not represent who we are, as AS Monaco. We are not afraid of punishment. It could happen, but we hope not. It doesn’t feel fair to punish the entire organization, but I respect the opinions.’
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has called on both the player and the club to risk punishment.
“It is unacceptable behavior,” she told radio station RTL. “I have had the opportunity to tell the Ligue de Professionnel (LFP) what I thought and I believe that such behavior should be subject to the strictest sanctions against the player and the club that allowed it to happen.”
Camara, who also has a rainbow logo on his sleeve, has received support in Mali for standing by his faith.
The Malian Football Association published a statement supporting the player ‘in the exercise of his freedom of expression’.
It added: “Players are citizens like any other whose fundamental rights must be protected in all circumstances.”
Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro (left) apologized to Ligue 1’s governing body but insisted the club must ‘respect religion’
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has called for sanctions, while the Malian Football Federation has expressed support for Camara
Meanwhile, Monaco manager Adi Hutter said: “Firstly, as a club we certainly support the league’s initiative. It was a personal initiative of Mo Camara.
We have this conversation internally with Mo. We will discuss this situation internally. I had the badges on during the game, I support the league’s initiative.”
The French football initiative has proven sensitive in the past.
Last season, Toulouse’s Zakaria Aboukhlal and Nantes’ Mostafa Mohamed were left out of the squad on the final matchday after refusing to take part in the campaign against homophobia. Guimgamp’s Donatien Gomis also ruled himself out of a Ligue 2 match.
Monaco finished second in the Li 1 this season and thus qualified for the Champions League.