PSG'S IDRISSA GUEYE ASKED TO EXPLAIN WHY HE MISSED RAINBOW JERSEY GAME

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The French football federation’s ethics board has asked Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye to respond to allegations that he skipped a game to avoid wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQI+ movement.

According to Mauricio Pochettino, the Senegal international was absent from Saturday’s 4-0 triumph over Montpellier in Ligue 1 due to “personal reasons” rather than injuries.

According to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday, Gueye must “make a public apology” or deny that rumours that he refused to participate in French football’s fight against homophobia are “unfounded.”

Last year, he also missed a match on a day dedicated to spreading anti-discrimination awareness.

“This absence (against Montpellier)… is very widely interpreted as a refusal to participate,” wrote the FFF’s ethics board. “One of two things, either the hypotheses are unfounded and we invite you to immediately express yourself in order to silence these rumours,” the letter continued.

“Or the rumours are true. In this case we ask you to be aware of the impact of your actions and the very serious error committed. In refusing to take part in this collective initiative you are validating discriminatory behaviour… and not only against the LGBTQI+ community,” it added.

“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.”

In Senegal, homosexual relationships are considered a crime punishable by up to five years in jail.

Valerie Pecresse, the conservative presidential candidate in France last month, joined the list of criticism of Gueye.