This may not help Idrissa Gueye’s situation. The Senegalese midfielder of PSG had refused to play Saturday evening in Montpellier for “personal reasons” had indicated Mauricio Pochettino after the match. He had not wanted to wear the jersey with the rainbow numbers symbolizing the fight against homophobia.
The case had gone beyond the framework of football to invite itself on the public square and the political field. Monday, Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Ile-de-France region did not hesitate to react to the controversy, even going so far as to ask for sanctions. The club of the capital also made it known in the evening of this Monday that it dissociated itself from this gesture which goes against the campaigns to fight against all forms of discrimination accompanied in recent years.
This Tuesday, Idrissa Gueye however received strong support in the person of Macky Sall, the President of Senegal. The 60-year-old man, followed by 2 million followers on Twitter, wrote: “I support Idrissa Gana Gueye. His religious convictions must be respected”.
As a reminder, Senegal punishes with one to five years of imprisonment any person who has committed an “unnatural act with an individual of his sex”.
On May 17, World Day Against Homophobia, the League announced the auction of 114 jerseys worn by last weekend. Those of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé will be available. Not that of Gueye who had nevertheless collected last week nearly two million euros as part of the gala evening he had organized with his foundation For Hope.
