Celebrated European Soccer Coach Caught On Camera Using Gay Slur
While multiple athletes have landed in hot water for their anti-gay comments on Twitter recently, it can help to realize the source of their homophobia often comes from authority figures—their coaches.
Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, one of the most celebrated in the league, was caught on camera using the Spanish gay slur maricones, which means “queers” or “faggots.”
In the clip, Mourinho says, “Y esos maricones… No dicen con que balon se juega?” That translates to: “And these faggots… don’t say what ball you play with?”
Apparently there were two different colored balls on the field, one orange and one white, and he was making a reference to what colored ball to play with and that “fags” wouldn’t know which one to use. Still, offensive.
While Mourinho will probably face a fine of some sort, this is a time when a coach might need to be made an example of. They hold such authority over players, and when a coach is okay with using homophobic language, the players are, too. Unfortunately, since Mourinho is such a legend, he’ll probably get a pass.
Here’s a clip of a news report about the offending slur, it’s all in Spanish:
Source: GayStarNews. Photo via apasciuto
While “maricón” does literally translate to “queer” or “fag,” it doesn’t the carry the same weight or stigma in Spanish-speaking countries as it does in English-speaking countries. Basically, it means “fag,” but then again, it doesn’t. We use the word “bitch” all the time like it’s no big deal, but over there, the word “puta” (which literally means “bitch”) is one of the most offensive words in the Spanish language. Just because a word translates literally does not mean the stigma or the social connotation does too.
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I agree with Edgar. This was lost in translation. He did not say ANYTHING that came close to what you guys put:
“ ‘fags’ wouldn’t know which one to use”
He basically called someone a ‘faggot’ (more like a sissy or idiot or whatever) because they didn’t communicate which balls they were allowed to play, so he decided on an orange one.
Also, in some countries it is common to use “maricon” or”marica” for anything and everything.
So please don’t translate things that you are not sure of, because this is taken REALLY out of context.
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I think some of the posters here are very ignorant; I’m sure if they were gay they would not feel the same way about the use of the word. He needs to be fined heavily and put on suspension, as well as make a public apology to the gay and lesbian community. If this is not done, more people will mirror his behavior and think it is ok to demean homosexuals.
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F3 = fine him, fire him and forget about him (which can also be translated to “fuck him”)