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Idrissa Gueye refuses to wear PSG shirt featuring rainbow symbol

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Kouyate (right) and Gueye were both part of the Senegal side that won the country's first African Cup of Nations title in February

aris St-Germain’s Idrissa Gueye refused to play in a match to avoid wearing a rainbow symbol in support of LGBTQ+ rights, BBC Sport understands.

The 32-year-old former Aston Villa and Everton midfielder was absent from Saturday’s 4-0 win over Montpellier.

PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino said only that Senagalese Gueye missed the game for “personal reasons”.

The French Football Federation (FFF) has reportedly written to Gueye to clarify why he was absent.

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BBC Sport has approached Gueye’s representatives for comment.

Crystal Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyate and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr have posted on social media in apparent support of their Senegal team-mate’s stance.

Kouyate posted a picture of himself alongside Gueye on Instagram, with a caption calling Gueye “a real man”. Watford winger Sarr posted a picture of him and Gueye accompanied by three heart emojis and the caption “100%”.

In response to Sarr’s post, Watford reiterated their commitment to equality and diversity, adding “this includes the willingness to offer further education and support to any of its employees”.

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At a news conference on Wednesday, Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira said if his player had posted in relation to Gueye, he would speak to them. “It’s going to be an in-house conversation,” he added.

Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal and punishable by prison sentences of up to five years. It is also illegal in Qatar, where PSG’s owners hail from and where the men’s 2022 World Cup will be staged later this year.

The top Twitter trend in the world on Wednesday was #WeareallIdrissa with tweets sent to support Gueye’s stance.

Gueye’s stance is in contrast to the overwhelmingly positive response from football towards Blackpool’s 17-year-old forward Jake Daniels coming out as gay on Monday – the first openly gay men’s professional footballer in Britain since Justin Fashanu 30 years ago.

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Angel di Maria and Lionel Messi
French top-flight clubs wore rainbow-designed shirt numbers to show their solidarity with LGBTQ+ rights

For the second successive season, clubs in France have been invited to mark 17 May’s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia by wearing rainbow-design numbers on the back of their shirts.

In addition to missing Saturday’s win over Montpellier, Gueye, who arrived at PSG for £30m in July 2019, missed last year’s show of solidarity citing gastroenteritis, according to Le Parisien newspaper, who first reported the reason for his absence.

The AFP news agency said on Wednesday it had seen a letter from the FFF’s ethics board calling on Gueye to explain why he missed Saturday’s game.

The letter, says AFP, calls for him to “issue a public apology” or to say that the rumours he refused to play are “unfounded”.

The country’s president Macky Sall wrote on Twitter that Gueye’s Muslim beliefs must be respected, while sport minister Matar Ba wrote that Gueye was backed by his country’s people, alongside a picture of the midfielder on pilgrimage to Mecca.

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

PSG said on Wednesday that they were “very proud to wear this shirt”.

“The biggest stars of world football were on the field on Saturday and expressed the club’s commitment to the fight against homophobia and all forms of discrimination,” it added.

Gueye’s stance has been supported by prominent politicians in Senegal.

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Source: BBC

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Justin Kodua Frimpong files nomination to seek re-election as NPP General Secretary

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General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.

He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.

Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.

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“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.

He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.

“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.

His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.

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The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.

The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

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UGMC disputes Michael Blackson’s claims over late mother’s treatment

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The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.

In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.

The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.

According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.

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UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.

The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.

It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.

UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.

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The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.

The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.

Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.

By: Jacob Aggrey

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