Serbian soccer star Nemanja Matic received a four-match ban after refusing to display the pro-LGBT rainbow logo on his shirt during a French league match last month.
(LifeSiteNews) — Serbian soccer star Nemanja Matic has been suspended for four games for covering up a pro-LGBT rainbow badge on his jersey.
During a match between Matic’s team Olympique Lyon and SCO Angers on May 17, 2025, the Christian soccer player covered up the rainbow-themed “anti-homophobia” badge on his jersey with white tape.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), the governing body of France’s professional soccer leagues, has now announced that Matic will receive a two-match ban and an additional two-match suspension.
On May 17, the French Ligue 1 celebrated the “International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.” The celebration apparently included forcing players to wear team jerseys with a pro-LGBT-themed badge on them.
According to GB News, Matic is a practicing member of the Serbian Orthodox Church and likely covered up the LGBT symbol due to his religious convictions. The 36-year-old has had an illustrious career, playing for top European clubs like Benfica Lisbon, Chelsea, and Manchester United.
Matic was not the only player to silently protest the controversial pro-LGBT event organized by the LFP. Le Havre’s Ahmed Hassan, a practicing Muslim, also covered up the LGBT badge when his team faced Strasbourg. He was given the same punishment as Matic.
Both players accepted their punishment and agreed to participate “in an awareness-raising campaign on the fight against homophobia in football,” the LFP announced.
READ: Muslim soccer player suspended by French league for covering up pro-LGBT message on jersey
“Football has a massive platform, and the (French Football) Federation is determined to put this issue on the clubs’ and supporters’ agenda,” said Marie Barsacq, France’s sports minister. “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.”
Last year, Muslim soccer player Mohamed Camara was likewise suspended for four games for covering up the pro-LGBT rainbow symbol on his jersey during the “International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.”
This was the fifth consecutive year that the French soccer league had clubs use LGBT-themed symbols on their jerseys. Each year, some players either refuse to play or cover up the badges, causing controversies and suspensions.
