Crystal Palace star Cheikhou Kouyate and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr appear to support Idrissa Gueye

Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr have sparked fury at their clubs Crystal Palace and Watford after appearing to back Senegal team-mate Idrissa Gueye for allegedly refusing to wear rainbow colours for PSG. 

Gueye, who is a devout muslim, came under fire after he failed to feature in PSG’s 4-0 win over Montpellier, where players wore special shirts in an expression of solidarity to mark the upcoming International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, on Tuesday May 17. 

His manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed his absence was due to ‘personal reasons’ and not because of an injury, with French outlet RMC Sport reporting that he did not want to represent PSG in the rainbow colours.

And former Everton star Gueye has now seemingly been backed by Kouyate and Sarr, who both play with the midfielder for the Senegal national team. 

Sarr posted a picture of himself standing next to Gueye on Instagram, with a fist emoji, three heart emojis and the words: ‘100 per cent’. 

And Gueye’s fellow midfielder Kouyate also uploaded a photo of himself with the 32-year-old on the social media platform, calling him ‘a real man’, and adding ‘we wholeheartedly support you brother’.

Idrissa Gueye reportedly missed PSG’s 4-0 win over Montpellier because he didn’t want to wear a shirt with rainbow colours on

The PSG side took to the pitch in the special shirts ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, on Tuesday May 17

Gueye appears to have been backed by Senegal team-mates Ismaila Sarr (L) and Cheikhou Kouyate (R) who both posted a picture of him on social media with words of support 

Gueye’s alleged refusal to appear in the rainbow shirt came just before Blackpool’s Jake Daniels became the first openly gay player in the country, and only the second known gay player in the world.  

Watford fans reacted immediately in the wake of Sarr’s post – which has since been deleted – with one calling for him to leave Vicarage Road. The Hertfordshire-based club’s honorary president is gay music icon Sir Elton John. 

One simply wrote: ‘Get him out of our club’, while another called him ‘stupid’ for his social media post.

‘How stupid do you have to be, as Ismaila Sarr, to come out in support of a homophobe, in the same week a 17-year-old lad was brave enough to come out as gay, in the world of football,’ the tweet said. ‘Absolutely moronic.’ 

Some Watford fans have called on Sarr to leave the club after his post about Gueye 

‘Ismaila Sarr proves why people like Jake Daniels need to come out in football,’ said another supporter. 

Crystal Palace’s Kouyate was also targeted for criticism by fans, with some calling him to be removed from their squad. The midfielder’s contract at Selhurst Park expires this summer.

‘Don’t play Kouyate for the rest of the season,’ said one fan. ‘Give his place in the matchday squad to one of the youth players.’

‘Kouyate has some explaining to do,’ wrote another fan. ‘He may well feel he’s done nothing wrong. If his comments are as they appear to be, and he stands by them, then I’d be very disappointed to see him wear a Palace shirt again.’

‘It’s a shame to see the people we see as “role models”, the people we support week in week out, the people that inspire us, being anything but this,’ read another post. ‘I’m so disappointed in Koyate. A step in the complete wrong direction from him.’

Crystal Palace fans admitted they were ‘disappointed’ in Kouyate, with some also calling on the club to release him

Sportsmail has approached Watford and Crystal Palace for comment. 

Despite the fury aimed at Gueye, Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Tuesday tweeted his support for the player.

‘I support Idrissa Gana Gueye. His religious beliefs must be respected,’ he wrote on Twitter.

Gueye also missed a match last year on a day dedicated to the fight against homophobia.

He and fellow players are adored in Senegal. He was part of the team that won the country’s first African Cup of Nations in February against Egypt.

In Senegal, where 95 percent of the population is Muslim, homosexuality is widely considered a deviance. ‘Acts against nature’ between people of the same sex are punishable by one to five years in prison.

Gueye is a devout Muslim and often shares messages about his faith across his social media platforms – in some Islamic countries, such as his native Senegal, homosexuality is a crime

Messages of support for Gueye have poured in on social media and from leading figures in politics, the arts and sport.

Sports Minister Matar Ba in a statement on Monday night said: ‘When you sign (with a club), it’s to play football. It’s not to promote anything or put aside your beliefs.’

Former Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne encouraged Gueye on Twitter.

‘Hang in there, Gainde,’ he wrote on Tuesday, using the Wolof word for lion – a nickname for the national team’s players – in a post accompanied by Koran verses.

Boubacar Boris Diop, a writer who won this year’s prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature, expressed his ‘total solidarity with Idrissa Gana Gueye’ on Twitter.

Gueye was an Everton player for four seasons before joining PSG for £30million in 2019

In Senegal, people have been posting the president’s tweet and photos of Gueye on a pilgrimage to Mecca on WhatsApp.

Gueye has not spoken publicly about why he missed the match. Contacted by AFP, people close to him declined to explain why he did not play.

Anti-homophobia campaigners say the reason for his absence is clear.

‘He pulled this stunt last year,’ said Bertrand Lambert, the president of Panam Boyz and Girlz United, a Paris-based football club with a focus on inclusivity and diversity. ‘There’s no doubt about his intentions.’

Gueye blamed gastroenteritis for his absence from the event last year.