Everton star Idrissa Gana Gueye has apologised on social media after he saw red for slapping his own team-mate during a heated argument against Man Utd
22:55, 24 Nov 2025Updated 23:05, 24 Nov 2025
Idrissa Gana Gueye
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Idrissa Gana Gueye has apologised for his actions(Image: PA)
Everton star Idrissa Gana Gueye has broken his silence on Instagram after he was sent off for slapping his team-mate.
Gueye and Michael Keane locked horns ten minutes into the Toffees trip to Old Trafford on Monday evening after Bruno Fernandes was able to get a shot away at Jordan Pickford's goal.
Replays showed Gueye raising his hand and slapping Keane in the bizarre moment that saw the midfielder sent off. Everton, however, were able to take the lead despite being a man down.
And after seeing out the match, Gueye has praised his team-mates and apologised for his behaviour: "I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane.
"I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club.
Idrissa Gana Gueye
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Idrissa Gana Gueye was sent off his slapping his team-mate(Image: Getty Images)
"What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions run high but nothing justifies such behaviour. I'll make sure it never happens again."
Speaking about the incident, Gueye's boss David Moyes admitted he liked to see his players fighting.
"If nothing happened, I don't think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised," he told Sky Sports after the game.
Idrissa Gana Gueye
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Idrissa Gana Gueye's side still came out on top(Image: PA)
"I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I got told that the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.
"But there's another side to it: I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn't do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.
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"I'm disappointed we get the sending off. But we've all been footballers, we get angry with our team-mates.
"He's apologised for the sending off, he's praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised for what happened."