The annual awareness campaign has been met with resistance in recent years, with some players citing religious beliefs for choosing not to take part.
Nantes and Egypt forward Mostafa Mohamed, 27, withdrew from his side’s crunch relegation-decider against Montpellier on the final day of the season.
“I believe in mutual respect – the respect we owe others but also the respect we owe to ourselves and our beliefs. For me, there are deep-rooted values linked to my background and my beliefs that make my participation in this initiative difficult,” Nantes’ Mohamed said on Instagram before the match.
Last season, the then-Monaco midfielder Mohamed Camara, 25, was banned for four matches for taping over an anti-homophobia logo on his shirt.
Some Toulouse players missed a match in 2023 with the club saying they had “expressed their disagreement with the association of their image with the rainbow colours representing the LGBT movement”.
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