By Nimi Princewill
Saturday May 21, 2022
(CNN)- Embroiled in a homophobia row in France, Paris
Saint-German footballer Idrissa Gana Gueye has received the backing of
Senegalese President Macky Sall.
With French clubs' players encouraged to wear
rainbow-colored numbers on the back of their shirts to commemorate World Day
Against Homophobia on May 17, the 32-year-old Gueye, who is a devout Muslim,
missed PSG's match against Montpellier to avoid wearing the shirt, according to
French sports broadcaster RMC Sport.
PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino, told a media conference
that Gueye was excused from Saturday's game for "personal reasons."
However, the Senegalese president has expressed his support
for the midfielder.
"I support Idrissa Gana Gueye. His religious
convictions must be respected," the Senegalese president wrote in a
Twitter post.
Gueye has not commented publicly on the controversy. CNN has
made attempts to contact the club for comments.
President Sall's show of support was welcomed by many locals
in the Muslim-dominated West African country where being in a same-sex
relationship is punishable by up to five years in prison, amid an increase in
the arrest and prosecution of LGBTQ community members in recent years.
The Senegalese player was also absent during the same
commemorative fixture last year due to illness, his club said at the time,
according to RMC.
Gueye has been summoned by the National Council of Ethics of
the French Football Federation (FFF) to explain his alleged boycott of the
Saturday game, said RMC Sport.
The 32-year-old's recent no-show has sparked calls for
sanctions against the player. Rouge Direct, a group fighting homophobia in
sports demanded French football authorities sanction Gueye.
French politician Valérie Pécresse, also wants Gueye to be
penalized for not showing solidarity to the LGBTQ community.
"The players of a football club, and those of PSG in
particular, are figures of identification for our young people. They have a
duty to set an example. A refusal by Idrissa Gana Gueye to join the fight
against homophobia could not remain without sanction!" she tweeted.