PSG’s Idrissa Gueye denied to play in a game to avoid wearing a rainbow symbol in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
Idrissa was absent from Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Montpellier.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino stated only that Senagalese Gueye missed the match for ‘personal reasons’.
The French Football Federation (FFF) has reputedly written to Gueye to clear up why he was absent.
Homosexuality is unlawful in Senegal and punishable by prison sentences of up to 5 years. It is also illegal in Qatar, where PSG’s owners hail from and where the men’s 2022 World Cup will be organized later this year.
Blackpool’s forward Jake Daniels, 17, 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 consecutive season, clubs in France have been requested 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 eluding Saturday’s victory over Montpellier, Gueye, who came at PSG for £30m in July 2019, eluded last year’s show of harmony citing gastroenteritis, as per Le Parisien newspaper.
The AFP news agency stated on Wednesday it had seen a letter from the FFF’s ethics board calling on Gueye to brief why he missed Saturday’s match.
The letter, states AFP, calls for him to ‘issue a public apology’ or to say that the rumours he denied to play are ‘unfounded’.
The letter reputedly adds if he did deny to play he would be ‘validating discriminatory behaviour’.
PSG stated 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 appended.
