Reactions have been trailing the decision of Senegalese footballer, Idrissa Gana Gueye to boycott a game for his club side, Paris Saint-Germain because he wouldn’t wear a jersey promoting the LGBTQ movement.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Tuesday declared his support for Gueye in a tweet.

“I support Idrissa Gana Gueye. His religious convictions must be respected.” Sall wrote on Twitter.

Je soutiens Idrissa Gana Gueye. Ses convictions religieuses doivent être respectées.

— Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) May 17, 2022

Gueye has been facing homophobia accusations in France following his boycott.

The Senegalese international midfielder missed a Ligue 1 game against Montpellier Saturday during which players were to wear rainbow jerseys in support of the LGBTQ movement. He was absent for “personal reasons” rather than injury, according to coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Other political figures in Senegal have joined the train of support for the African star. Former Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne encouraged Gueye on Twitter.

“Hold on, Gaindé… And always remember these holy words (The Koran, surah 109): 2. I don’t worship what you worship.  3. And you are not worshipers of what I worship. God bless you!”

Tiens bon, Gaindé… Et souviens-toi toujours de ces paroles saintes (Le Coran, sourate 109) :
2. Lâ a'boudou mâ ta'boudoûn
3. Wa lâ antoum 'abidoûna mâ a'boud
–
2. Je n'adore pas ce que vous adorez.
3. Et vous n'êtes pas adorateurs de ce que j'adore.
–
Dieu te bénisse ! pic.twitter.com/51fFKMnIkP

— Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne (@MAHAMMEDBDIONNE) May 17, 2022

Gueye also missed a match last year on a day dedicated to the fight against homophobia.

In Senegal, where 95 percent of the population is Muslim, homosexuality is widely considered deviance. “Acts against nature” between people of the same sex are punishable by one to five years in prison.

On his part, Senegal’s Sports Minister, Matar Ba in a statement on Monday night said: “When you sign (with a club), it’s to play football. It’s not to promote anything or put aside your beliefs.”

Boubacar Boris Diop, a writer who won this year’s prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature, expressed his “total solidarity with Idrissa Gana Guèye.

“They are strange, these people who go to such lengths to impose their opinions on everyone. In the name, supreme stupidity, of freedom of expression. Do they even know that they make people laugh more and more?” The writer said

Gueye has not spoken publicly about why he missed the match.