One of Spain’s top soccer players appeared to come out as gay on Sunday. A tweet on the Twitter account of former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said, in Spanish, “I hope you respect me: I’m gay.”
Among those to respond was fellow Spanish player, Carles Puyol, who tweeted, “It’s time to tell our story” followed by a heart and kiss emoji.
However, within an hour, the tweet had disappeared from Casillas’ account. He then posted to say he’d been hacked.
“Hacked account. Luckily everything in order. Apologies to all my followers. Of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.”
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Related: Scottish soccer player comes out, explains why it’s still important to do so
Puyol also posted an apology. He said, “I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA+ community.”
According to the BBC, Castillas split from his wife, Sara Carbonero, in March. They have two children. Since the split, Spanish tabloids have linked the 41-year-old with a string of women, including Shakira.
Soccer players respond
Australian soccer player Josh Cavallo, who came out last year, was among those to criticize the so-called “joke.”
“Joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing,” Cavallo said. “”It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ people have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.”
@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing. It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful pic.twitter.com/Yp88aQyyTV
— Josh Cavallo (@JoshuaCavallo) October 9, 2022
The Twitter exchange also drew apparent criticism from the Spanish Higher Sports Council.
“Much to do, to advance, to educate and to raise awareness,” wrote the Higher Sports Council on Twitter on Sunday. “We will continue.”
Mucho por hacer, por avanzar, por educar y por sensibilizar. Seguiremos.#FelizDomingo🌈 pic.twitter.com/aHiLzyOhLe
— CSD (@deportegob) October 9, 2022
Another former Spanish player, Jose Enrique, did not buy Casillas’ excuse about being hacked.
Instead of apologize and recognize the mistake rather lie to everyone pic.twitter.com/QBRvvhicm3
— José enrique (@Jesanchez3) October 9, 2022
Related: Soccer star Jake Daniels’ coming out inspired legions of fans—and earned royal praise
There are only a handful of out, professional soccer players in the world. The most recent to come out was Scotland’s Zander Murray. He said he didn’t believe Casillas and Puyol had any intention to offend, but the tweets showed their lack of education on LGBTQ issues.
Murray also called out the number of homophobic comments the tweets had prompted from soccer fans. He urged people #bekind and to think of all those who are struggling to come out.
⚽️ 🏳️🌈 🤝 #bekind pic.twitter.com/1uuS7qK0Fr
— Zander Murray (@ZanderMurray) October 9, 2022
moneyplnatia
That was surprising news ….
Brian
I was just joking! Somebody else wrote it! It was me but it was also someone else!
Maybe he has hit the ball with his skull too many times. Effing idiot.
Fahd
He’s deservedly getting his ass handed to him, as they say, all over the Spanish media. Stupid thing for someone in his position of sport celebrity to do. I suppose it’s just callous disregard of anyone different , but really, how many generations will it take?
SDR94103
she’s a sloppy bottom.
RIGay
I wish I did not detest soccer (or ANY pro sports for that matter) so much.
Caelestius
Same here. No-one seems to talk about the bigger problem: the inane obsession with pro-sports spectacle. I’ve been repulsed by its fist-pumping, rage coursing and single-focus pathology my whole life. Playing a game of soccer or pick-up or Saturday softball is great. Why do millions of (mostly) men need to spend half a paycheck to watch other guys play? Or drink a six-pack on a couch watching game after game on tv? There are so many more productive ways to occupy the contents of your cranium, or feel extreme passion, or express loyalty. Some of them could even leave the world a less aggressive, fist-pumping wasteland.
FeedingFriendzy
Perhaps you and Caelestius might stay on subject.
There are many thousands, if not millions in the LGBTQ+ community who play and enjoy watching sports. Many more, of course, who’ve been mocked for having no interest. That doesn’t excuse stereotyping or hate-splaining of any sort. We should be welcome to love the arts as well as football without being subject to scorn in our own community, queer or straight. In case you didn’t get it, that is the point of the article.
johncp56
please stay out of closet if you are gay, selfish of me as I find him so attractive, But! everyone if you have seen the news of late the soccer fields in Europe have become political hot beds of white hate, racism and homophobia, the world is going backwards