Gueye is targeted by critics in France after the refusal which is lent to him to join the fight against homophobia and to wear a rainbow jersey. Like last year, the PSG player did not play Saturday against Montpellier (4-0) on the day dedicated to the fight against homophobia, a new defection which drew criticism in France, but also support in his country, Senegal.
“I support Idrissa Gana Gueye. His religious beliefs must be respected,” President Sall said.
In Senegal, Gueye and his colleagues in the selection are adored. The PSG player was part of the team that won the country’s first African Cup of Nations (CAN) in February in Cameroon, against Egypt.
In this 95% Muslim and very practicing country, homosexual relations are prohibited. The existing law stipulates that “will be punished by imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 francs (152 to 2,286 euros) anyone who has committed an immodest or unnatural act with an individual of his sex”.
Messages of support for the defensive midfielder of PSG and the national team continued to flow in Senegal on Tuesday.
Sports Minister Matar Bâ defended Gueye by stating that “when you sign (a contract with a club), it’s to play football, it’s not to promote anything or put aside his convictions,” in a statement to the press on Monday evening.
Former Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne encourages Gueye by telling him: “Hold on, Gaïndé”, a lion in the Wolof language, nickname of the national football team, in a message on Twitter accompanied by verses from the Koran.
The writer and intellectual Boubacar Boris Diop, winner of the very prestigious Neustadt Prize, affirms his “total solidarity with Idrissa Gana Gueye”, on Twitter.
Many Senegalese put the Senegalese president’s message of support or photos of Gueye on a pilgrimage to Mecca in Whatsapp status on Tuesday.
Gueye has not spoken publicly about the reasons for his absence from the field against Montpellier.
The player’s entourage, contacted by AFP, refused to explain the reasons for this absence.
On the other hand, they are clear for associations fighting against homophobia. “He had already done it last year. There is little doubt about his intentions,” said Bertrand Lambert, president of Panam Boyz and Girlz United, a club open to diversity.
Idrissa Gueye also did not play last year, citing gastroenteritis. On Saturday, Paris SG coach Mauricio Pochettino spoke of “personal reasons”, stating that his player “was not injured”.
