By John Bennett | BBC News |
Paris St-Germain’s Idrissa Gueye refused to play in a match to avoid wearing a rainbow symbol in support of LGBTQ+ rights, BBC Sport understands.
The 32-year-old former Aston Villa and Everton midfielder was absent from Saturday’s 4-0 win over Montpellier.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino said only that Senagalese Gueye missed the game for “personal reasons”.
The French Football Federation (FFF) has reportedly written to Gueye to clarify why he was absent.
BBC Sport has approached Gueye’s representatives for comment.
Crystal Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr have posted on social media in apparent support of their Senegal team-mate’s stance.
Kouyate posted a picture of himself alongside Gueye on Instagram, with a caption calling Gueye “a real man”. Watford winger Sarr posted a picture of him and Gueye accompanied by three heart emojis and the caption “100%”.
In response to Sarr’s post, Watford reiterated their commitment to equality and diversity, adding “this includes the willingness to offer further education and support to any of its employees”.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira said if his player had posted in relation to Gueye, he would speak to them. “It’s going to be an in-house conversation,” he added.
Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal and punishable by prison sentences of up to five years. It is also illegal in Qatar, where PSG’s owners hail from and where the men’s 2022 World Cup will be staged later this year.
The top Twitter trend in the world on Wednesday was #WeareallIdrissa with tweets sent to support Gueye’s stance.
Gueye’s stance is in contrast to the overwhelmingly positive response from football towards Blackpool’s 17-year-old forward Jake Daniels coming out as gay on Monday – the first openly gay men’s professional footballer in Britain since Justin Fashanu 30 years ago.
For the second successive season, clubs in France have been invited to mark 17 May’s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia by wearing rainbow-design numbers on the back of their shirts.
In addition to missing Saturday’s win over Montpellier, Gueye, who arrived at PSG for £30m in July 2019, missed last year’s show of solidarity citing gastroenteritis, according to Le Parisien newspaper, who first reported the reason for his absence.
The AFP news agency said on Wednesday it had seen a letter from the FFF’s ethics board calling on Gueye to explain why he missed Saturday’s game.
The letter, says AFP, calls for him to “issue a public apology” or to say that the rumours he refused to play are “unfounded”.
The letter reportedly adds if he did refuse to play he would be “validating discriminatory behaviour”.
PSG said on Wednesday that they were “very proud to wear this shirt”.
“The biggest stars of world football were on the field on Saturday and expressed the club’s commitment to the fight against homophobia and all forms of discrimination,” it added.
Gueye’s stance has been supported by prominent politicians in Senegal.
The country’s president Macky Sall wrote on Twitter that Gueye’s Muslim beliefs must be respected, while sport minister Matar Ba wrote that Gueye was backed by his country’s people, alongside a picture of the midfielder on pilgrimage to Mecca.
That is good people should stand for what they believe in they is nothing wrong in that
Stand by what you believe is right no matter the situation, Misheck, Shadreck and Abednego.
Weldone Gueye,it should be a choice whether one wants to just the same with taking a knee is not compulsory
Well done 👏
LGBTQ stand for what please help
Gerrald Mtombeni Lesbians and gay rights
Gueye is right
Well done son of Africa
He should be fined,banned, released, expelled. Whatever to get his head right.
It’s ironic he refused given the pronunciation of his last name 😂
William Lopang don’t force him to endorse stupid things
Anywhere Muriritirwa I honestly hope PSG release him if this is true. He’s stupid and backward
William Lopang so not surporting the LGBTQ community is an offence ,what happened to freedom of choice,when Ronaldo rejected Coca-Cola you didn’t make notice ,your community has double standards,you want it all to yourself
William Lopang fuck u
William Lopang ass eating mother fucker
Nxa
William Lopang what it sounds to you gays is not what to everybody
Araphat Mbende what were you trying to say?
Modern-day slavery. These Europeans will always try to force their beliefs or agendas on the African child nomatter what. SMFDH
Give that man Bell
He did well.
Akabva kuvanhu mujaha uyu
He is right and principled. Whites think we should tow their line of thinking. Suka
For the fear of the Most High is the beginning of all wisdom🤗🤗
Thank you
He has his rights too, he is not fighting anyone. Even at the United Nations, countries are allowed to abstain, vote for and vote for against. This is now building into a racial issue against people of African origin.
We are Africans
That’s good what he did
They should respect his religious beliefs
Why should Africans be forced to embrace gays and lesbians? The west must be able to separate between rights and cultural& religious believes which one can not be forced to go against! It is against our norms,ethics,values and beliefs as Africans that its taboo to embrace same sex marriage! So to us its not a right because its against our values as Africans!
Evng Tarisai Mupingo they have always imposed “their choices”
on us, from religion, language, culture, politics, the list is endless. Recently they even wanted Africans to take side in the current conflict in Eastern Europe.
War Master Blaster Its very disturbing to see people imposing a right that even God condems as evil on others! We better stay unfriendly to them and be on God’s side! If animals cant do it why should people think its possible to have same sex marriage?Those that have time to listen to the Ukrainian lies by the west,its up to them to believe it and pick sides? As for us we dont even care whats happening there we have a lot of African countries facing conflicts funded by the same people pushing for Russian condemination!
Evng Tarisai Mupingo this thing has entered Africa massively!
Kenya supreme court ruled that same sex marriage should be allowed!
In Botswana the supreme court also ruled that gay organization must be registered!!
In SA its long a norm!!
The list on African countries is long & in all those instances, there are never a white judge in their bench
Ncagu Sbhamusogodo KaSibungusodaka Look brother,it is the will of those nations to embrace it,but in our culture as Africans nomatter what country or tribe from cape to cairo no single tribe had done this before in history! So if i may ask you a question ,was this( law) originally harvested from any african ideology? So does it mean if something is evil we should embrace it bcz the west is making noise about things that are unnatural bcz you want to be seen as democratic states by violating your own culture and beliefs? Would you go to US and tell them to do rain making ceremonies like what our forefathers used to do? Remember those courts and law we have in those countries you mentioned were brought by the same white people,so having a black judge interpreting a law from the judge changes no effect to who that law belongs too! Did SA and Botswana changed their constitutions after independence? In our country you wont try it,that will be a lesson for one to learn ,bcz our constitution doesnt accomodate such devilish mentality!
Evng Tarisai Mupingo
Personally I believe in humanity not separating Africans, Europeans , Asians, Americans etc!
If something is inhumane, no need to separate on color or creed!!
We have an Australian Rugby player who contract was terminated because he spoke against such profane,
We have a lady who refused to sign a marriage certificate & was subsequently fired in U.S.
Parcauo the Philippines boxer stood against it!
Donald Trump was known of being against it!!
Its not about Africans, it’s about humanity that has lost it’s image!
As we speak it is in your doorsteps , it is in my door step, as well!!
Evng Tarisai Mupingo you are spot on, no wonder why they didn’t like Mugabe because he defended what he believed in and never kow towed to these self appointed policemen of the world who want to foist their belief systems, lifestyles and values on every person and nation under the sun, what a load of bs. They can do it in their countries and we don’t give a rat’s ass about it but not try to arm twist African nations and people who don’t don’t subscribe to their value systems to kow tow to their stuff. We have our own ways of life, belief systems, cultural values, etc.
If its right why is it being forced down everyone’s throat. Kudos to Gueye
He’s a Muslim that’s y he refused,
Sodom n Gomorrah explained What God does
Life is not all about money they should understand that.
Excellent
Extracted from Kacou 143:Oracles of Prophet Kacou Philippe on homosexuality
5 A homosexual can be a son of God according to Genesis 7, but homosexuality will always remain a despicable, abominable thing and hated by God. Homosexuality is an enemy of everything God has created. And when a country decriminalizes or legalizes homosexuality, homosexuality becomes the sin of all the inhabitants of that country. When a country decriminalizes or legalizes homosexuality, then its president and all its ministers, senators and members of parliament are homosexuals. For example: Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Filipe Nyusi, Cyril Ramaphosa and Ali Bongo are homosexuals. And Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth of England are lesbians. When a country decriminalizes or legalizes homosexuality, it is the rainbow flag of the homosexuals that floats over the heads of every inhabitant of that country.
His religion dosent accept the practice it is in his right to decline any show off support.
WELL DONE
They say we have to respect each others rights,
Let him be,he is practicing what he blvs in
No1 has has the right to profane!
Very soon ribbons would be worn to represent the right of a thief to steal!!
These European nations believes so much in the so called “rights” and for that reason they should respect the rights of Idrissa..
Millions of people don’t buy into this Lifestyle and choose to mind their own business regarding what sexuality people choose , but to force people to prove or be part in or of showing support for this lifestyle , Kohlwa…. Keep your things to yourself!
From religion to ngito, when are we going to be free???
I actually support gay rights coz it’s their body… However when certain footballers refused to take the knee in support or kicking racism out. The stories never got traction.
Tafara Bezel Rwafa you are spot on, why don’t they invest the same energy, resources and enthusiasm in fighting racism against Black people in their countries who are racially abused, killed and jailed for simply being black. They must fix that first because it has been happening since the days of slavery long before these gay movements came into being. They must get their priorities right. Just last week 10 Black people were gunned down by a Ku Klax Klan racist bigot in America and no one is talking about it but the whole world is talking about Idrissa Gueye refusing to wear a T shirt representing something he doesn’t believe in or support, what a load of bs is that.
Deport him now!!
Weldone Gueye
So he is suppose to follow the rules of the house,,, how can a visitor ask to sleep on my bed and just advise me to sleep in spare,,,can the whole team change the whole kit only because of him? Only uneducated fools can link up the color of shirts with their beliefs…
Simbarashe Makochekanwa are you for real. That comparison is not making any sense
But refusing to wear shirts because of color myopia mindset makes sense… I guess that footballer has small brains and size of peanuts
That’s why Africa is not growing coz we have marginalized mindset,, just because of the color of shirt a normal human being can refuse to play football
Simbarashe Makochekanwa u don’t know anything
Why shouldn’t your brother stay in Senegal with you then refuse to wear shirts with the colors that you don’t like and believe in
He is in France to chase for money to feed his family and maybe by chance to come and invest back home,, You advise him to refuse wearing a shirt , I don’t understand the logic at all
Simbarashe Makochekanwa did you see how many European footballers who refuse to kneel is support of No To Racism???
I think that’s natural and irreversible,, as long as black and white clothes are still separated when washing,,, it’s everywhere, in church,at school, brother against brother, even married couples they do isms , in short racism it’s our daily bread
Very very RIGHT,why should some pple’s beliefs be forced on all of us,let those who are comfortable with it do whatever they dim right and those who doesn’t agree with it do as they feel right for themselves, Personal Choices
He is there to play ball not to be used for activism. You’re abusing people in the workplaces by making them do what they didn’t sign up for. WTH!
He should just leave the club. If you are in Rome; do as what the Romans do.
Good boy.why force their kak on everyone?