The incident took place during the league’s annual anti-homophobia campaign, which promotes players wearing rainbow armbands and logos.
Matic wasn’t alone in his stance with Le Havre’s Ahmed Hassan also covering the symbol, while Nantes forward Mostafa Mohamed boycotted the match against Montpellier due to his personal beliefs.
France’s new Sports Minister, Marie Barsacq, responded by saying the government expects clubs and players to take responsibility and uphold the values of inclusion.
"Football has a massive platform, and the French Football Federation is determined to put this issue on the clubs’ and supporters’ agenda,” she said.
“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."