The controversy swells again around Mostafa Mohamed. For the third season in a row, the Egyptian striker of FC Nantes refused to participate in the Ligue 1 day dedicated to the fight against homophobia, and therefore to wear the jersey in rainbow colors. While the Canaries play their survival this Saturday against Montpellier on the last day, his absence, which was expected, was confirmed. But unlike previous years when silence or a timely injury were sometimes mentioned, the 27 -year -old has this time chose to speak publicly to justify his position, and he does not bother.
It is via an Instagram “story”, written in Arabic and then in French, that Mostafa Mohamed explained this Friday. He invokes “Deeply rooted values, linked to origins and to (s) a faith” who make his “Participation in this difficult initiative”. Far from scrolling, he fully assumes this personal choice, saying that his refusal
“Express neither rejection nor judgment, only a loyalty to what builds me”. He pleads for the recognition of a “Diversity (which) can express themselves in a different way” and highlights “Mutual respect, that which we owe to others, but also that which one owes to yourself and its convictions”.
Mostafa Mohamed reveals the reasons for his controversial refusal!
It is therefore not a first. Already in 2022 and 2023, the Egyptian international (47 selections) had missed these specific days, receiving financial sanctions on the part of FC Nantes. The money raised had also been donated to associations to combat homophobia. This year again, the club has confirmed that a financial sanction would be applied and that the funds would go to an association. This recurrence and the public justification of the player raises the question of an impasse in the relationship between the player, his club, and the values ​​carried by the LFP.
“Loyalty to what builds me”: Mohamed assumes his convictions
The timing of this new “package” is particularly prejudicial for FC Nantes, which needs at least one point against Montpellier to ensure its maintenance without depending on other results. The absence of his attacker is a hard sport. Beyond this aspect, the fact that Mohamed thus publicly assumes a position which has already put him in difficulty in the past, when he was previously more discreet, arouses strong reactions. If some may salute the “Merit of assuming its positions”,
This rigid posture in the face of an institutional campaign of the League could well complicate its future in the French championship.
Mostafa Mohamed therefore chose the path of public justification, camping on its positions despite criticism and sanctions. Everyone will make their opinion on the validity of their arguments, some perhaps regretting that the debate does not focus on the very form of the message (rainbow colors vs a more universal textual message against homophobia, for example). However, that by repeatedly opposing this initiative, and now assuming it openly, the Nantes striker takes a certain risk for the rest of his career in France.
