LGBTQ: France To Ends Campaign After Three Years

After three years of placement in France’s top two divisions, the rainbow shirt scheme is set to be discontinued.The program was established in 2023 by the LFP, France’s governing authority, to combat homophobia in the gaming industry. On one matchday each year near the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, which is observed on May 17, players would don rainbow shirts.

But the program, which generated a lot of criticism, is about to be abandoned. The LFP will instead focus on other ways to fight discrimination in the game, according to RMC Sport.
“[Ligue 1] is currently preparing for the days dedicated to the fight against racism in March, and then the fight against homophobia next May,” read a statement from the LFP. “A meeting is scheduled for mid-November with the partner associations to prepare these two days.”
In the past, a few athletes have declined to don rainbow shirts. After refusing to wear the special jerseys against Nantes in the previous season, Toulouse decided to leave certain players out of their team. Mostafa Mohamed, a midfielder for Nantes, was also punished by his club for not showing up for action.
Idressa Gueye, a midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, was also questioned on why he skipped a game in 2022 in opposition to the league’s acceptance of LGBTQI+ rights. The PSG coach at the time, Mauricio Pochettino, explained that the midfield player was absent due to “personal reasons.”

The announcement follows the one-match suspensions of four PSG players for their involvement in anti-gay chanting during their victory against Marseille at Parc des Princes. Following sanctions, Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Layvin Kurzawa, and Randal Kolo Muani have all expressed regret.