It is unbelievable and disgusting to me that such a beautiful sport like soccer can still have rampant, unchecked homophobia. Players, coaches, and fans are all guilty of condoning and saying homophobic comments. I can't understand how the game has made it this far into the new millennium without making some sort of rule against homophobic statements and actions taken by managers and players.
Recently, a popular French player was rejected from his team after going on sabbatical. He originally took a break because two of his teammates made public homophobic remarks, and upon his return, the club rejected him instead of punishing the 'phobes. (Source)
This player is even more recognizable in the football world: Michael Ballack. His manager, Michael Becker, reportedly attacked the German national squad, saying that the team was run by a "gay combo": Phillip Lahm and Thomas Müller who are "poor, ugly, untalented, bureaucratic, inhuman and gay." (Source)
These sorts of issues go completely unmentioned by most English-speaking media. You would be extremely hard-pressed to find the Ballack story on any Anglophone news source, and, in fact, I had to translate the cited portions from Spanish. Homophobia and football should never mix so easily, but it does on a daily basis.
Over on LiveJournal, ONTD_Football has started a movement to eradicate homophobia from the stands as well as the pitch. Our new org, Red Card Homophobia, is just starting out and you can help out by tweeting to your favorite players' twitter accounts and using the hashtag #redcardhomophobia.
We also have a brand new WordPress blog dedicated to spreading awareness and encouraging all football fans to kick homophobia out of football. http://redcardhomophobia.wordpress.com
