P.S.G. Player Benched for Refusing to Wear Rainbow Jersey
Idrissa Gueye traveled south to Montpellier with his Paris St.-Germain teammates for the team’s league game on Saturday but wound up watching it from the stands.
Gueye was not injured, his coach said after P.S.G.’s victory: He “had to leave the team for personal reasons.” Those personal reasons, a team source confirmed Monday, were that Gueye had refused to join his teammates in wearing a special jersey featuring rainbow-colored numbers created to highlight discrimination before Tuesday’s global events marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
The jerseys were part of a coordinated leaguewide effort. Gueye has not commented on his absence, but French news media reports, which were first to report the reason for Gueye’s missing the game on Saturday, quickly noted that he had also missed the same awareness-raising fixture last season.
Last season’s absence was attributed to a stomach issue, but this year P.S.G.’s coach, Mauricio Pochettino, said Gueye did not have any health issues.
