Idrissa Gueye in action for PSG against Troyes on May 8. PSG via Getty Images
Paris
Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye has 😊 been asked by the French soccer federation
why he sat out a game in which players wore jerseys with rainbow-colored 😊 numbers to
denounce anti-gay discrimination.
A person with direct knowledge of the incident told
The Associated Press on Tuesday that Gueye 😊 did not play because he did not want to wear
a rainbow-colored number on his shirt. The person spoke on 😊 condition of anonymity
because Gueye has not commented publicly on the incident.
The federation's ethics
council sent Gueye a letter, obtained 😊 by the AP on Wednesday, urging him to clarify why
he missed Saturday's game.
The council said if the reports are 😊 untrue, the Senegal
international could take a photo of himself wearing the jersey.
"Your absence has led
to many speculations that 😊 have been very widely interpreted as a refusal to take part
in this operation to raise awareness of the fight 😊 against discrimination," council
president Patrick Anton wrote.
Gueye traveled with his teammates to Montpellier for the
game, but PSG coach Mauricio 😊 Pochettino cited "personal reasons" to justify Gueye's
absence from the field.
"Either these suppositions are baseless, in which case we ask
😊 you to express yourself without delay in order to stop these rumors," Anton wrote. "We
invite you, for example, to 😊 accompany your message with a photo of you wearing the
jersey in question.
"Or these rumors [reports] are true," he continued. 😊 "In which case,
we ask you to take stock of the impact of your actions and the very serious mistake
😊 committed. The fight against discrimination affecting different minorities is a vital
and constant fight. Whether it's skin color, or religion, 😊 or sexual orientation, or any
other differences, all discrimination is based on the same grounds -- the rejection of
others."
For 😊 the second straight season, French clubs were invited to label their
shirts with numbers colored from the rainbow flag, the 😊 symbol of the LGBTQIA+
movement.
Gueye had also missed the equivalent match in May last season.
"By refusing
to take part in 😊 this operation, you are validating discriminatory behavior [and] the
rejection of others, and not just against those in the LGBTQ+ 😊 movement," Anton
continued. "The impact of soccer in society and the way players are role models for
those who admire 😊 them gives all of us a personal sense of responsibility. We hope this
letter makes you conscious of the fact 😊 you need to clarity your position, or to make
amends."
The case quickly became a political issue in Senegal and in 😊 France.
Senegalese
President Macky Sall tweeted his support to Gueye.
Abdoul Mbaye, a former Senegalese
prime minister, also threw his support behind 😊 Gueye, saying the PSG player "is not
homophobic. He does not want his image to be used to promote homosexuality. 😊 Leave him
alone."
Homosexual relationships are considered a crime in Senegal and can be punished
with up to five years in 😊 prison.
Valerie Pecresse, the conservative candidate in the
French presidential election last month, joined the criticism of Gueye.
