Le Mans FC’s new investment has triggered a sharp reaction before any ball has been kicked. Idrissa Gueye’s arrival among the club’s shareholders on Wednesday has led a national coalition of LGBT+ and anti-discrimination groups to call for a boycott of the club.
The National Collective Against Homophobia, Racism, Antisemitism and All Discrimination issued its appeal on Thursday, describing the decision to bring the Senegal international into the ownership group as a “major ethical drift”. The coalition brings together several organisations campaigning against discrimination.
“Homophobia is not an opinion; it is an offence,” the collective said. It accused Le Mans of choosing “financial cynicism” over ethics and republican values by accepting as a shareholder a figure it says has publicly rejected campaigns against discrimination.
2022 Ligue 1 controversy remains central
The group pointed to Gueye’s past controversies in Ligue 1, notably his repeated refusal to wear shirts bearing the colours of the anti-homophobia campaign during designated matchdays. Gueye, now 36, played for Paris Saint-Germain between 2019 and 2022 and has won 135 caps for Senegal.
In May 2022, during the 37th round of the Ligue 1 season, Gueye did not travel with PSG for the trip to Montpellier. His absence meant he would not have to wear a rainbow-numbered shirt as part of the league’s anti-homophobia initiative. An anti-homophobia association challenged him over the matter at the time.
Gueye is currently a player for Al-Diriyah, while his move into Le Mans FC’s shareholder group has now placed the club at the centre of renewed scrutiny.
