A Fake Twitter Account Attributed to Paris Saint-Germain Player Idrissa Gueye
The Claim
The tweets are from the official account of the Senegalese player Idrissa Gueye, after he refused to play a match of solidarity wearing the rainbow on his football kit, in support of LGBTQ rights.
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Emerging story
Social media users are circulating a tweet attributed to the Paris Saint-Germain football player, Idrissa Gana Gueye, in which he says, "I am a Muslim and my faith tells me not to support homosexuals, even if it costs me to stay away from football." Another tweet was shared by users, which said, "French intelligence is making a phone call to my family in Senegal to inform them that I am in danger if I do not do what is required of me." Some people shared other tweets from the same account.
Photo Description: A screenshot of the circulating claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be fake, as the tweets attributed to Idrissa Gana Gueye belong to an account that impersonates his name and not his official Twitter account.
A Fake Account Attributed to Gueye
By following up with the username on the circulating tweets @IdrisGhana, it was revealed that the account had been suspended by Twitter for violating their networking site’s rules and no longer exists. As can be seen below.
Gueye's Official Twitter Account
Idrissa Gueye's official Twitter account was reviewed, and none of the circulating Tweets were found. The last tweet published on the account dates back to the date of May 22, when he posted pictures during his team’s celebrations, Paris Saint-Germain, after winning the French League title. The images were accompanied by a tweet in which he said, "About last night, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the many messages of support.” The tweet is shown below.
Gueye's Absence from the LGBTQ Solidarity Match
According to press reports, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Gueye missed his team's last match in the French league against Montpellier, because he did not want to play in a shirt bearing a rainbow (the symbol of support for LGBTQ rights). During this round of the French League, players across France wore special T-shirts as an expression of solidarity on the International Day Against Homophobia, and transphobia. Reports added that Gueye is a devout Muslim, and he missed the match because of his religious beliefs forbidding homosexuality.
However, the coach of Paris Saint-Germain said that the reason for Idrissa’s absence from the match was "personal.” It was reported that Idrissa missed his team's match in the same round of the French League last year, and at that time the club announced that the reason was the player suffering from gastroenteritis.
Gueye Criticised for Missing Match
The French League and Paris Saint-Germain, two organizations that support homosexuality in France, have called for action against Idrissa to prove his reason for missing the game. According to the organization, "homophobia is not an opinion; it is a crime." The French Football Federation's Ethics Committee asked Gueye to explain his absence from the match dedicated to LGBTQ solidarity and to determine whether the reason was his refusal to wear a shirt with rainbow colors or not.
Campaign Supporting the Footballer
Senegalese President Macky Sall and a group of athletes, media professionals, celebrities, and activists on social media expressed their support for Idrissa against the measures that may be taken against him.
Based on the findings, Misbar confirms that the Twitter account with the circulating claims was fake and did not belong to the real Idrissa Gueye.
Translated by Dina Faisal
