Cheikhou Kouyate calls Idrissa Gueye a "real man" after he 'refused LGBT shirt'
Idrissa Gueye sparked outrage this week after allegedly refusing to wear PSG LGBT-inspired shirt against Montpellier, and it appears he has support from Senegal team-mates Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr
Premier League stars Cheikhou Kouyate and Ismaila Sarr appear to have offered backing to Idrissa Gueye after the Paris Saint Germain midfielder allegedly refused to wear rainbow colours on his shirt.
Gueye failed to show for PSG's 4-0 win over Montpellier over the weekend, with manager Mauricio Pochettino confirming that his absence was due to 'personal reasons'.
The Senegal international, who is a devout Muslim, subsequently came under fire following reports that his refusal was motivated by the club's use of the special rainbow shirts - which were being worn to mark the upcoming International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
But it appears Gueye has support from a couple of Premier League-based international colleagues, who have both offered support for the former Everton man on social media this week.
Watford forward Sarr posted a picture of himself standing next to Gueye on Instagram, with a fist emoji, three heart emojis and the caption: "100 per cent", while Crystal Palace's Kouyate posted a photo of himself with the 32-year-old calling him "a real man", and adding "we wholeheartedly support you brother".
As you might expect, Watford and Crystal Palace fans have reacted angrily to the players' posts.
"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. Absolutely moronic," tweeted a Hornets fan.
"Kouyate has some explaining to do," wrote a Palace 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 comes just days after 17-year-old Blackpool striker Jake Daniels became the UK's first openly gay footballer since John Fashanu came out back in 1990, and just a few weeks after former Manchester United and West Ham United defender Patrice Evra claimed that some of his team-mates said they'd refuse to shower with a gay colleague and would even consider asking the club to sell them.