A soccer match between the San Diego Loyal and Phoenix Rising teams ended in a chaotic forfeiture as the San Diego team left the field in protest. Players reported that a member of the Phoenix Rising yelled homophobic slurs at openly gay San Diego player Collin Martin.
The match began without incident the evening of September 30, with the players competing through the first half of the game. The second half, however, began with San Diego taking a knee in protest. The team then walked off the field, forfeiting the match after the first pitch. Yahoo Sports reports that Phoenix midfielder Junior Flemmings allegedly used the slur during the first half of the game. According to the report, Flemmings called Martin a “batty boy,” the Jamaican equivalent of “f*ggot.”
Related: Soccer player steps onto the field for the first time since coming out, and the crowd loses it
A heated confrontation then ensued on the field between San Diego manager/co-owner Landon Donovan and Phoenix manager Rick Schantz. In a video of the exchange, Donovan can be heard to say “That’s homophobia.” Schantz appears to respond by saying “How long have you been playing soccer?” Donovan exited the field along with his team following the argument.
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Later that same night, the United Soccer League released a statement regarding the match. “We are aware of the alleged use of a homophobic slur in tonight’s match between San Diego Loyal SC and Phoenix Rising FC,” it reads. “Foul and abusive language of any type has absolutely no place in our society and will not be tolerated in USL matches. An investigation is currently underway to determine the facts surrounding the incident and more information will be provided as soon as it is available.” The Phoenix Rising Twitter account also tweeted that the team is conducting a full investigation of the slur, though added that the players deny using any kind of homophobic language.
— x-Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) October 1, 2020
Collin Martin came out in 2018, becoming the first active male professional soccer player to do so.
cwaigy
My god! He is gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, mouth watering, jaw dropping, sexy! I’d date and romance him in less than a heartbeat and make sure I’d go to all his games and cheers him on!
Denny98
I totally agree.
Jay002
Good for standing up to hate and bigotry. If only Republicans could learn this.
Catholicslutbox
So much good news.
This and manalina getting covid. Haha.
Josh447
Brilliant move. Just walk off the field. Love. It. Love. It.
Cam
The league keeps claiming they don’t have tolerance for this behavior. But they’ll probably let the team with the bigot on it keep the win.
joeboyle49
GOOD FOR THE TEAM FOR STANDING UP TO BIGOTRY BUT TOO BAD THE BIGOT GETS THE WIN!
mz.sam
Go COLLIN!….Go SAN DIEGO Rainbow!!
Mack
The USL should reverse that loss since the player wasn’t removed from the game for his bigoted comment.
Smith David
Jamaicans take pride in their homophobia. I should know because I’m of Jamaican heritage. Every gay man knows what that gay slur means by now and so do the straights. My heart is so full when I see our ally’s standing up for us in this way. We are still fighting racism and homophobia is gonna be around for a very long time.
masteradrian031
Homophobism (or being homophobic) means to have FEAR for homosexuality (or homosexual people). This action most clearly does NOT constitutes FEAR for homosexuality (or the homosexual player), but shows pure HATE towards the homosexual soccer-player!
This is HATE, and must be treated as a hate-crime based on sexual orientation, wereby I feel that convictions of these sort of hate-crimes must carry a more serious sentence, with a minimum of 5(five) years imprisonment, a fine of $10.000(ten-thousand USdollar), removal of parental rights in the case of children in the convicts care, removal of all(!) social rights for a period of 10Ten) years, and finally a registration in the international list of hate-criminals (wereby the effect is that entry to other coun tries can be denied based on the fact of being a hate-criminal based on sexual orientation).