Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has been suspended for four matches for covering an anti-homophobia logo on his shirt in a recent match.
The Serbian joined the Red Devils in 2017 and spent five years at the club.
He played 189 times for the side, scoring four goals.
Matic failed to win a trophy and left the club in 2022 at the end of his contract, where he would join AS Roma and then later Olympique Lyonnais.
He sparked controversy after covering an anti-homophobia logo on his shirt while playing for his club last month against Angers.
The Athletic report that Ligue 1 have made the decision to ban the player for four matches.
It is reported that “Matic, 36, came on as a substitute for Tanner Tessman in the 69th minute of the game with a piece of white material appearing to cover the campaign’s rainbow logo. Another symbol — the word ‘homophobia’ in French crossed out with a red line and ‘football’ underneath it — was not covered.”
Matic’s contract is up at the end of this month with the French club, so it may not even be a ban that he has to face.
Le Havre’s Ahmed Hassan, was also punished for covering up the slogans and both players “have agreed in their hearings to participate ‘in an awareness-raising campaign on the fight against homophobia in football’ within six months.”
France’s sports minister Marie Barsacq has had his say on the incident claiming, “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.”
This is not the first time Matic has been in the news this year after he got into a public war of words with current Man United goalkeeper Andre Onana before the sides’ Europa League quarter-final tie in April.
Matic took exception to the keeper’s comments that United were a much better team than Lyon and claimed Onana was the “worst” keeper in United’s history.
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
