Le Mans FC owner Pedro Oliveira stepped forward on Tuesday to defend investor Idrissa Gana Guèye, who is the target of a boycott call against the club. He labelled the initiative "unnecessary noise" and refocused the debate on the club's development project, promoted to Ligue 1 this season.
A national collective called for a boycott of Le Mans FC on September 23. This action follows the arrival of Idrissa Gana Guèye in the club's investor group in 2026. The 37-year-old Senegalese player, currently under contract with Diriyah Club in Saudi Arabia, had refused to wear the rainbow jersey during an anti-homophobia campaign in May 2022 while he was at Paris Saint-Germain.
Pedro Oliveira reacted firmly. "What happened four years ago specifically concerns Idrissa Gana Guèye," he said. The owner added, "It's unnecessary noise and I don't think we should waste energy on it." He stressed that attention should be on the club's ambition, which targets a European place within five to ten years, and on its academy in Senegal, which he praised.
The club has also welcomed former Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva as an investor, alongside other personalities like Novak Djokovic, Thibaut Courtois, Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen.
This controversy comes as Le Mans FC, 16th in Ligue 1 with 6 points after seven matches, is going through a tough sporting period. The team has suffered three consecutive defeats, including a 3-0 home loss to Toulouse on October 16, before facing Auxerre this Saturday, October 25. Striker Louis Mafouta, the squad's top scorer with 4 goals, and his teammates will need to quickly refocus for this key away fixture. The immediate objective is to climb out of the relegation zone and move closer to mid-table, currently eight points behind leaders Lyon.
Read the full report at Affrique sur 7
