African footballer under fire for refusing to wear shirts with gay pride colours

#WeareallIdrissa is a top global trend after people online have been tweeting in support of Senegalese Paris St Germain football player, Idrissa Gana Gueye, after he refused to play for this team wearing a shirt with numbers displayed in Pride colours BBC Sports understands.

On Tuesday French clubs had been invited to mark 17 May's International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

Many of the tweets highlight the 32-year-old's Muslim faith and comment on the legality in the West to criticise Islam or the Quran but what they view as the perceived lack of freedom to oppose homosexuality.

However, the hashtag is also being used to spread homophobic content. Many online are angry about Gueye's reported actions and are calling it insulting and homophobic.

Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal and punishable by prison sentences of up to five years.

The French Football Federation (FFF) has reportedly written to Gueye to clarify why he was absent from PSG's Saturday match against Montpellier, according to the AFP news agency.

They want him to issue and apology, or say the rumours as to why he missed Saturday's game are unfounded.

The letter reportedly adds if he did refuse to play he would be "validating discriminatory behaviour".

Meanwhile PSG said that they were "very proud" to wear Pride shirts.

Initially PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino said only that Gueye missed the game for "personal reasons".

BBC Sport has approached Gueye's representatives for comment.

Source: BBC