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Patrice Evra🗣”every ⚽️ club has gay players”

Evra, retired footballer for major English Premier League teams (notably Manchester United) and for the France national team, has recently come forward to speak about his experiences with negative attitude toward homosexuality in English football club dressing-rooms during the 2000s.

In an interview with French magazine LE PARISIEN, Evra revealed:

[quote] When I was in England, they brought someone to talk to the team (unspecified) about homosexuality. Some of my colleagues said, ‘It is against my religion, if there is a homosexual in this locker room, let him leave the club’ and other comments. At that time, I said, “Shut up!” I played with players who were gay. Face to face, they opened up with me because they were afraid to speak otherwise. There are approximately two players per club who are gay. But in the world of football, if you say so, it’s over.

Since Evra’s retirement around ten years ago, the Premier League has taken steps forward to encourage acceptance of sexualities, and has introduced numerous measures to foster an inclusive environment, the foremost of these measures being the Rainbow Laces campaign. The efficacy of these efforts must be questioned, however, when examining the current climate within the game around homosexuality—certain fans still shouting abuse from the stands, certain players publicly espousing homophobic attitudes, and most of all sponsors and owners supporting and taking money from homophobic organisations.

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by Anonymousreply 105February 14, 2022 7:08 PM

Patrice Evra is handsome! Good for him for speaking out!

by Anonymousreply 1January 14, 2022 10:53 AM

By happy coincidence this coincides with the release of his autobiography

by Anonymousreply 2January 14, 2022 10:54 AM

R2 So damned if you do and damned if you don't huh? Had he not spoken up for gays then he'd have homophobic. If he speaks up for gays he's an opportunist?

I'm convinced that some of you don't really want allies do you? You'd rather bitch, moan and cling to your victimhood.

by Anonymousreply 3January 14, 2022 11:12 AM

Evra played for Manchester United F.C. from 2006 until 2014, before leaving for the Serie A (Italian Premier League) team Juventus for 2 years. After that, Evra would return to his native country of France to play the 2016-17 season with Marseilles F.C. A year later, he briefly returned to the English Premier League, making a handful of appearances for the club West Ham United F.C., before leaving the EPL and retiring from the sport altogether in 2019.

This means that the players to whom he is referring and to whose defence he once came must have played with him on the team squads for either/both Man United or West Ham, and during a particular time period (06-14 and 18-19 respectively). Assuming that Evra was referring only to the first team squads—bearing in mind EPL football clubs train first teams together with reserves and academy kids, but don’t make them all share dressing rooms—narrows down the suspect list quite considerably...

For what my money, and whatever my opinion is worth as a lifelong casual EPL viewer but no fan of either team, the most likely candidates to be closeted players are:

MUFC 2006-14—Ben Amos, Wes Brown, Michael Carrick, James Chester, David De Gea, Chris Eagles, Corry Evans, Jonny Evans, Darron Gibson, David Gray, Michael Keane, Anders Lindegaard, Jesse Lingard, Federico Macheda, Lee Martin, Nani, Gary Neville, Gabriel Obertan, Paul Pogba (who still plays for Man U), Rodrigo Possebon, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mikaël Silvestre, Chris Smalling, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Carlos Tévez, Antonio Valencia, Nemanja Vidić, or Ashley Young

WHFC 2018-19—Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Javier Hernández (with whom Evra also briefly played at Man U...), Ben Johnson, Samir Nasri, Lucas Pérez, Winston Reid, Declan Rice (a current England national team player), Xande Silva, or Jack Wilshere

by Anonymousreply 4January 14, 2022 2:34 PM

Well, R2 has a point albeit a cynical one. We can appreciate the honesty and candid of Patrice, while also acknowledging his probable opportunism (he is a Red Devil, after all, and they’re known for playing dirty).

by Anonymousreply 5January 14, 2022 5:17 PM

An interesting thing that I've noticed is that EPL players have never outed their gay teammates. A few have talked before about having a gay teammate, his boyfriend coming to practices, and how everyone was cool about it. I applaud them (especially the vocal homophobes) for not outing anyone to the press.

by Anonymousreply 6January 14, 2022 8:04 PM

R6 yes, the loyalty of the closed circle among players is watertight. The players are boys, and boys like to have each other’s backs regardless of personal beliefs. It’s a fascinating and mysterious culture.

Would love to know how and where the gay players talk to each other and hook up, because you know that those lads aren’t using their main phones or socials or the mainstream apps to do that—too dangerous. As well as a secret platform, there must be a kind of unspoken signal or code to alert one another in public spaces. Otherwise, names would have leaked by now.

by Anonymousreply 7January 14, 2022 8:37 PM

England is not only more racist, but more homophobic than the USA

by Anonymousreply 8January 14, 2022 9:03 PM

Transparently ludicrous claim, R8/

by Anonymousreply 9January 14, 2022 9:05 PM

Most of the hardcore support for soccer/football is from the working class, which is much more liable to be homophobic. Footballers themselves generally come from poor or working class backgrounds and risk alienating friends and family as well as supporters should they come out.

by Anonymousreply 10January 14, 2022 9:15 PM

Can we go for more than ten fucking posts before some privileged arse starts going in on the working classes for allegedly being bigots? Spouting such generalised and offensive rubbish, it’s obvious some of youse have never condescended to speak to or otherwise engage with low-income or lower-class individuals in your lives.

Lower-class people are more likely to have close and active communities, and often communities will rally protect their own even when an individual may have differences. What’s more, working-class families know that their gay children will not have the protections or cushions of wealthier gay youngsters, and therefore offer needed support of family & community to thrive. Of course, this sadly is not true in every single case, but in Britain it’s more common than not.

by Anonymousreply 11January 14, 2022 9:20 PM

Fair enough, R11, it's lazy to taint wider society by association with football supporters.

by Anonymousreply 12January 14, 2022 9:42 PM

How is this in anyway surprising except to homophobes who “don’t want to think about it?”

by Anonymousreply 13January 14, 2022 9:47 PM

R10 alienating friends and family shouldn't be an issue, considering many footballers have their family on the payroll and friends leeching off them as well. They are in no position to "alienate" the cash cow.

by Anonymousreply 14January 15, 2022 9:02 AM

Eventually someone will come out, and unlike everyone else who has come out up until now, he will be an active player and also someone we have heard of.

That person has almost certainly already told his teammates, who are fine with it. Most fans under 50 will be fine with it too, because there has been a huge change in attitudes on homosexuality in England in the past 20 years. So when this person comes out, there will be a concerted effort by popular players, managers, and commentators loyal to many different teams to rally round him. He will also get some abuse from a minority, and everyone will sigh and shake their heads, but ultimately it'll be fine.

Now, personally I'm waiting for the first gay roasting/whatsapp porno/escort kiss-and-tell.

by Anonymousreply 15January 15, 2022 9:17 AM

And/or to see which cringey Z-list instagram influencer the first openly gay player finds to go out with.

by Anonymousreply 16January 15, 2022 9:25 AM

Homophobia in football has 3 separate problems that need to be addressed. Teams owned by Russians/Saudis; ignorant, bigoted fans; and religious (Muslim) teammates.

I think if anyone comes out soon, it will likely be someone humble and down-to-earth, rather than a flashy publicity whore. So, TAA/Dier type, rather than Grealish.

by Anonymousreply 17January 15, 2022 9:42 AM

There was talk of a group doing it (the idea being safety in numbers which makes sense) but it appeared to have fallen through.

by Anonymousreply 18January 15, 2022 9:43 AM

[quote] " religious (Muslim) teammates."

Tell me you don't follow football, without telling me you don't follow football.

There are only around 40 muslims out of over 500 players in the Premier League. Muslims aren't *ALWAYS* the problem, Datalounge. It's evangelical Christians I'd be slightly more concerned about, but only slightly.

And yeah, speaking personally the worst homophobia I've heard generally comes from middle-class people. though since most premiership fans are middle-class that doesn't necessarily help matters.

by Anonymousreply 19January 15, 2022 9:51 AM

Wasn't Ronaldo called Nancy boy by UK press.

by Anonymousreply 20January 15, 2022 10:20 AM

[quote]Lower-class people are more likely to have close and active communities, and

Oh fuck off. LOWER CLASS PEOPLE? Seriously? Do they set their whippets on people who go after their local boys done wrong?

[quote]An interesting thing that I've noticed is that EPL players have never outed their gay teammates. A few have talked before about having a gay teammate, his boyfriend coming to practices, and how everyone was cool about it. I applaud them (especially the vocal homophobes) for not outing anyone to the press.

Players don't speak out about ANY part of other players' personal lives

Name a professional footballer who called for Ched Evans to be stopped from playing professionally after his rape conviction. Name a professional footballer who has said Ryan Giggs should be barred from Old Trafford until his criminal trial for assaulting his girlfriend is resolved.

Footballers say silent on all aspects on the private lives of other footballers because they're told to.

by Anonymousreply 21January 15, 2022 10:23 AM

I’m surprised they haven’t had a gay character yet on Ted Lasso.

Weren’t there several on Footballers Wives?

by Anonymousreply 22January 15, 2022 11:07 AM

The homophobes would not dare to rock the boat and put the team through a PR nightmare that could cost the club sponsors and endorsements. That's how they get paid in the first place. For these homophobes it's more about money, and not getting blacklisted for fucking things up for the club, than loyalty to the team.

Same reason the closet gay players are extra careful to not get involved in a gay scandal by using high end escort services known for their discretion or having steady boyfriends who know what's at stake (or have as much to lose as the soccer player). Or at least handlers who specialize in sorting messy break ups or one night stands.

by Anonymousreply 23January 15, 2022 11:26 AM

Of course the publication of his autobiography means he is giving interviews. But I doubt he brought up homophobia and homosexuality in soccer teams in order to sell to millions of homos like r2 and r5.

If it does, great! That would be amazing niche marketing :)

by Anonymousreply 24January 15, 2022 11:33 AM

R7 you don't seem to realize that people live their daily lives and have plenty of opportunities to flirt and deduce, with NO TECHNOLOGY required.

by Anonymousreply 25January 15, 2022 11:35 AM

R24 Check out the football message boards some time. Straight guys care a *lot* about this topic, and not in a 'burn the witch' kind of way. Every time there's some kind of rumour about a footballer and a male singer the boards are awash with speculation.

When whoever it is does come out I honestly think he'll be applauded - by a lot of fans, and probably by the majority

by Anonymousreply 26January 15, 2022 11:42 AM

^ So I guess he'll sell a lot more books to straight men by discussing homophobia. Bully for him. Yay, straights.

by Anonymousreply 27January 15, 2022 11:54 AM

[quote]The homophobes would not dare to rock the boat and put the team through a PR nightmare that could cost the club sponsors and endorsements. That's how they get paid in the first place. For these homophobes it's more about money, and not getting blacklisted for fucking things up for the club, than loyalty to the team.

Are you serious? You think a footballer is going to get blacklisted for outing a gay player?

There are footballers who been sent to prison who are welcomed back to their clubs with open arms.

Patrice Evra was racially abused by Luis Suarez during a match- Suarez got a 10 match ban, a paltry fine and that was it. A few years after the incident Suaraz left Liverpool for Barcelona. He has never faced any consequences for racially abusing a black player, just like he didn't face any consequences for the handball in the World Cup match against Ghana, or the incidents where he bit players.

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by Anonymousreply 28January 15, 2022 11:56 AM

R21 no-one is disputing that most if not all footballers are venal, selfish, and elevate their own needs above those of the less privileged populace.

This can be true, at the same time as a given footballer feeling genuine concern for the well-being a friend or coworker who is unhappily closeted.

by Anonymousreply 29January 15, 2022 9:17 PM

Daddy Patrice goes hard protecting his boy Poggy♥️

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by Anonymousreply 30January 17, 2022 12:49 AM

Patrice & Paul singing smooth r&b together⬇️

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by Anonymousreply 31January 17, 2022 12:51 AM

[quote] Suaraz left Liverpool for Barcelona. He has never faced any consequences for racially abusing a black player, just like he didn't face any consequences for the handball in the World Cup match against Ghana, or the incidents where he bit players.

Biting isn’t always aggressive. Remember Costa? He likes leaving lovebites on his opponents, in a soft way..

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by Anonymousreply 32January 17, 2022 12:48 PM

OT but the best day of my life was when Hendo stared out Costa for pushing around the young LFC players on-pitch🙏

Diego soul left his body he wasn’t messing with the alpha lmao

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by Anonymousreply 33January 17, 2022 12:50 PM

Weren’t there some rumors about my compatriot Ibrahimović long ago? Or was it just to destabilize the team, as the PR said?

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by Anonymousreply 34January 18, 2022 10:39 AM

More Ibra. But maybe just an affectionate guy.

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by Anonymousreply 35January 18, 2022 10:54 AM

[quote] rumors about my compatriot Ibrahimović long ago? Or was it just to destabilize the team, as the PR said?

hahahahaha wtf is this really how they spun it? 💀

by Anonymousreply 36January 18, 2022 11:01 AM

R14 this is exactly why Cristiano Ronaldo cannot come out without seismic repercussions. He is essentially propping up Portugal by way of an economy of One and a cult of personality. And besides, his entourage is massive and comprises of every member of his family.

by Anonymousreply 37January 18, 2022 10:17 PM

[quote]I’m surprised they haven’t had a gay character yet on Ted Lasso.

I thought they were going to have Colin (Billy Harris) come out after he brought up Bantr (Keeley's dating app) being "like Grindr."

by Anonymousreply 38January 18, 2022 10:30 PM

R38 the show will probably crowbar a background gay in next season (if it gets picked up again). And of course, he will be written with a treacly, neutered and unrealistic spin.

by Anonymousreply 39January 19, 2022 11:10 AM

R34 what’s mad is that the Spaniards & the French footballers are actually less homoerotic than the English.

England NT do bits. For the last fifteen years that team has been one massive bromantic orgy circle tbh.

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by Anonymousreply 40January 19, 2022 7:59 PM

Only thing straight about footballers is them looking straight into their teammates’ eyes for a long charged sexy gaze loaded with promises for back at the hotel long after the match is over. Send Tweet.

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by Anonymousreply 41January 19, 2022 8:06 PM

A new documentary about gay footballers is on Channel 4 next week.

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by Anonymousreply 42January 20, 2022 8:11 PM

R42 thanks💫Had no idea it was even in the works. And it actually looks quite good, plus Channel 4 pull no punches so there should be some juicy content. Can’t wait!

by Anonymousreply 43January 20, 2022 8:20 PM

^^^crying at old man Ian Holloway jabbering away in his earnest bumpkin accent about this issue like he has anything to contribute on the subject😂😂😂bless him love the man

Patrick Bamford looks very sexy and sounds very intelligent for his part. I’m particularly interested in what he has to say for the docu, as he currently plays for England—maybe he’ll leave us some breadcrumbs as to who among his national teammates could be gay...

by Anonymousreply 44January 20, 2022 8:24 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 45January 21, 2022 11:04 PM

If one of the Prem closet cases isn’t sweet lovely pretty Harry Winks I’ll be well disappointed. Not surprised, but disappointed.

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by Anonymousreply 46January 23, 2022 10:41 PM

Enough to with the stupid Harry Winks posts!

by Anonymousreply 47January 23, 2022 10:43 PM

r4 I know the UK (like France) likes to laughably present itself as post-racial, but how many white players do you think are close enough to Evra to make this most personal of confessions? You've seen the cliques of friendships that form within clubs, and they're rarely multi-racial.

by Anonymousreply 48January 23, 2022 11:00 PM

It's really remarkable that 30 years after Justin Fashanu, and the shunning that eventually culminated in his suicide (after being accused of sexual assault in the US) exactly zero active players have come out and only one has come out upon retiring. Yet we're supposed to believe the England is this enlightened and tolerant place? Why does the closet still exist?

Then there stupid stories like this every year about gay players on the verge of coming out. The earliest I remember is from 2007 and they still didn't come out.

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by Anonymousreply 49January 24, 2022 4:49 AM

Exactly what R39 wrote. I love football (soccer), but Ted Lasso is mawkish and After-School-Special in its themes. Did love Jamie Tartt, though, until he became a nice guy (and disregarding the complete absurdity of going from a starter for Man City to a relegated club).

Thomas Hitzlsperger, a former German national team player who played in the EPL, is probably the highest profile player to have come out, but he did so after ending his career.

by Anonymousreply 50January 24, 2022 5:23 AM

R48 the list you cited is purely speculative and for the sake of completism, and besides mentions a dozen POC players.

by Anonymousreply 51January 24, 2022 9:54 AM

[quote][R4] I know the UK (like France) likes to laughably present itself as post-racial, but how many white players do you think are close enough to Evra to make this most personal of confessions? You've seen the cliques of friendships that form within clubs, and they're rarely multi-racial.

You're spot on there. Patrice Evra's closest friend at Manchester United was fellow Black player Park Ji-sung. They played together for 6 years.

John Terry and Ashley Close had a close friendship which led Cole to move to Chelsea. Cole complained of a French clique at Arsenal which included black and white players. When there was a West African clique at Arsenal - Adebayor, Toure, Eboue and Song - the players alienated all the other players, the most famous feud being between Toure and William Gallas which only ended when Toure left the club.

Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand had an especially close relationship at West Ham, famous recorded on camera, which ended when they went to Chelsea and Manchester United.

Language spoken and nationality is a more important precursor to a clique being formed.

by Anonymousreply 52January 24, 2022 12:03 PM

Park Ji-Sung is South Korean, he isn't black.

by Anonymousreply 53January 24, 2022 12:23 PM

[quote]Park Ji-Sung is South Korean, he isn't black.

Ya don't say!

by Anonymousreply 54January 24, 2022 12:34 PM

[quote] we're supposed to believe [...] England is this enlightened and tolerant place?

I am not from the UK, so I don't know: What does the football league, or the club, officials state on this topic? Do they claim that everything is fine and perfect, or do they run some (serious or alibi) initiatives to promote tolerance?

by Anonymousreply 55January 24, 2022 1:43 PM

I'm fine with any story for Jamie Tartt as long as Phil Dunster gets to play him with all his facets and assets.

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by Anonymousreply 56January 24, 2022 1:48 PM

[quote] Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand had an especially close relationship at West Ham, famous recorded on camera, which ended when they went to Chelsea and Manchester United.

They’re friends again as adults, and have been years. They’re fine, they send their love.

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by Anonymousreply 57January 24, 2022 2:35 PM

[quote] What does the English football league, or the club, officials state on this topic? Do they claim that everything is fine and perfect, or do they run some (serious or alibi) initiatives to promote tolerance?

The ‘Kick It Out’ initiative, an inclusion campaign organisation and football community outreach group based in London, has been going since the 1990s. They have worked to augment acceptance at grassroots level of play, and call out discrimination where it is flagged.

However, since the rise of the BLM movement, many POC players & fans have been expressing disappointment with the progress Kick It Out has made so far, and have been calling for more and better change.

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by Anonymousreply 58January 24, 2022 2:55 PM

[quote]They’re friends again as adults, and have been years.

You shared the wrong video. The one you wanted is "BT Sport's Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard reflect on the reason why they stopped talking to each other at the height of their careers".

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by Anonymousreply 59January 24, 2022 2:58 PM

R59 the real juicy behind-the-scenes story re. England 2000s squad concerns Lampsy & Gerrard, but this isn’t the right thread to go into it (and youse aren’t ready to hear it😔)

by Anonymousreply 60January 24, 2022 3:53 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 61January 25, 2022 4:57 PM

Maybe it would work better for each impacted player if five or six came out with a public statement at once. Not sure how that would be organized though.

by Anonymousreply 62January 25, 2022 7:05 PM

“The English Prem has an internal race problem/white superiority complex”

then explain the love between dele & dier? kane & sonny? rashford & mctominay? kal philips & ben white? hendo & all his England foster kids?

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by Anonymousreply 63January 26, 2022 9:44 AM

It’s the fans as much as anything

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by Anonymousreply 64January 26, 2022 10:53 AM

Sports is about distracting yourself from your own miserable life. That's why men get so invested in their favorite, usually local, sport's team of choice. And being gay is still considered weak amongst those men. And you don't want your favorite sport's team to be considered weak, especially by opposing sport teams and their fans. You want your team to be the strongest one, making you someone as cool and strong as the team you're supporting.

by Anonymousreply 65January 26, 2022 12:31 PM

[quote] Sports is about distracting yourself from your own miserable life

ok but why is R65’s first sentence calling me out like this

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by Anonymousreply 66January 26, 2022 9:52 PM

On a lighter tangential note Big Narstie has called for Evra to set up an OnlyFans😂

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by Anonymousreply 67January 28, 2022 10:59 AM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 68January 29, 2022 9:20 PM

Did that Channel 4 documentary "Football's Coming Out" uncover anything? Who cam out other than football?

by Anonymousreply 69February 4, 2022 11:26 AM

R69 it’s a game designed for suss little covert bisexuals and they’re all at it like rabbits behind closed doors, so no documentary would’ve been long enough👟

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by Anonymousreply 70February 4, 2022 12:21 PM

ofc it took a French man to broach this topic without pathetic phobic little-dick cringeing.

the French do it different👍

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by Anonymousreply 71February 5, 2022 9:41 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 72February 6, 2022 9:54 AM

Do people really think C.Ronaldo is good looking? He looks like a tranny.

by Anonymousreply 73February 6, 2022 10:01 AM

[quote]boys like to have each other’s backs

Pics please.

by Anonymousreply 74February 6, 2022 10:03 AM

[quote]ofc it took a French man to broach this topic without pathetic phobic little-dick cringeing. the French do it different👍

A man who was never a professional footballer?

by Anonymousreply 75February 6, 2022 10:18 AM

R71 A "French", he's an arab before anything. Especially him. Just like Benzema.

Patrice is French.

by Anonymousreply 76February 6, 2022 10:31 AM

R75/R76 the comment at R74 refers to Evra, and the linked article is just for a general-interest add about French attitudes more generally.

If you want this discussion go the race route (and I really do not), Evra is of mixed West African extraction, born in Dakar to a Guinea-Bissuan father and a Cape Verdean mother.

by Anonymousreply 77February 6, 2022 10:51 AM

R77 You are not learning anything about Evra. I'll tell you again. They are not French. In France, being French does not consist in having the papers, the ID. Arabs are the source of the majority of delinquency, Islamism and anti-France hatred. These two are a perfect example. Evra has never spat on France. He is French. End of story.

by Anonymousreply 78February 6, 2022 11:16 AM

R77 I forgot to say that Benzema in particular has been ungrateful, insulting and has been involved with Islamists on many occasions. That's why he was left out of the national French team for years. The French didn't want to see him anymore. They couldn't stand him. You are not unaware that the large majority of Islamist terrorist attacks committed in France come from these people, are you?

by Anonymousreply 79February 6, 2022 11:29 AM

R79 thanks, yeah, I get it, mostly due to the fact that you’re basically cyberscreaming it me as a tangential and unsolicited sidebar in what is otherwise a gentle discussion on a differentvtopic altogether (unless you specifically wanted to talk about homophobia in relation to cultist faiths, in which case please state that more clearly).

If it helps to clarify matters for you, I’m white British, so more than most Americans or Asians, I am likely to understand the delicate matter of immigration and integration, and the contentious debate surrounding it. There’s no need to waste your energy using alarmist, divisionary PNF talking points to mansplain it to me.

Tip for the future: racially-driven invective hurled at others with no warning and no contextual need tends to put them off talking with you.

by Anonymousreply 80February 6, 2022 11:57 AM

^^let me also add that my mother is white African, and so thanks to her educational influence, I know that so many colonised Africans would prefer to identify with their ethnic background and home nations, though still proudly remaining French speakers with a dual nationality.

But that is by the by, and, as I said, not the main topic of this thread.

by Anonymousreply 81February 6, 2022 12:00 PM

Thanks, r80/r81.

Now let's get back to our topic: Who's gay in football, soccer? About Christiano Ronaldo: Is his closet buried so deeply underground that he can never escape it anymore?

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by Anonymousreply 82February 6, 2022 12:36 PM

R80/81 Racist invective? LOL I was wondering at what point this word used compulsively by race-obsessed Americans would come out. Because the British aren't obsessed with it or you've turned into a Yankee. Racist because I think that Arabs who spend their time insulting French people are not French? If I mentioned Benzema in particular it's because he is well known in France for being homophobic as well as being a real asshole. I don't need your shit advice, I don't think you own this site, so I'll say exactly what I want.

I don't give a fuck about your mummy, and those ancestors. By the way, the Arabs that you defend are the first settlers in Africa and the first to have enslaved the blacks. For 14 centuries. They are still the last in the world to have black slaves. So, you will understand that your moral lessons, slip completely on me. I rather think that you don't even know what you are talking about. That's why Americans should stay far away from European FOOTBALL and not soccer..

by Anonymousreply 83February 6, 2022 12:52 PM

R80/81 Oh and whether you like it or not, the most homophobic in the world are the muslim especially Arabs. Sorry to talk about REALITY. AND FACTS. Have a nice day!

by Anonymousreply 84February 6, 2022 1:00 PM

Ok, r83, 84, I have to block you now. Your rants are unsolicited, racist, off-topic, and most importantly rude in tone. Not FF'ing you, just blocked. I don't want to read any of your shit anymore.

by Anonymousreply 85February 6, 2022 1:06 PM

"I am Algerian, France is just for the football" Benzema.

Sorry to offend your little ego, but he is the one who said that. Without France where he was born, which gave him everything, and made him what he is, he would be nothing. So, you will understand that your white savior's whining makes me laugh.

Don't bother, I'm out already. Can't stand hypocrisy.

by Anonymousreply 86February 6, 2022 1:07 PM

You don't know what racism is, you ignorant American. I don't give a fuck about your pseudo anti-racist posturing. I'm talking about facts. Whether you like them or not. Asshole R85

by Anonymousreply 87February 6, 2022 1:09 PM

Wikipedia has a dedicated article.

But as informative as it is, it basically it just confirms how bleak the diversity cause still is in national organizations. Even a rainbow armband is considered controversial, eventually considered a "symbol for diversity and thus for a good cause". If a rainbow armband causes a stir in a national committee, you know that relief is far and coming out not just a struggle with the fanbase.

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by Anonymousreply 88February 6, 2022 3:16 PM

R88 yes exactly!!!

To this day Captain Jordan Henderson (Liverpool/England) gets stick from ‘fans’ about wearing the rainbow armband and laces, or making the occasional remark. He’s been doing it for five years, and still these stalwarts moan about it.

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by Anonymousreply 89February 6, 2022 7:50 PM

R69 the other day I stuck the Channel 4 docu on while I was making dinner. I only had one eye on it, really, and frankly it wasn’t interesting or revealing or groundbreaking enough for me to stop chopping up veg and beetling round the kitchen. Bit poor from C4, really.

There wasn’t anything much said that we don’t already know about the stance of English football organisations on the problem. The proposed ideal theory is still to focus on changing fan behaviours, which is not addressing the root issues but rather instead punishing easy scapegoats and blameshifting, if you ask me (but they didn’t🙃) There is a long-standing issue with nasty chants from the stands that has got to be stopped (maybe by banning certain fans), but beyond that I feel that there needs to be more work done to make higher-ups and money-men agreeable to LGB, and also to make sure that foreign players coming into the EPL from nations with entrenched homophobic cultures understand that sex/uality-based oppression is not permitted on our shores. The current CIO of the FA claims that match-bans for offending players is helping this cause, but I’m sceptical.

That said, it was nice to see a handful of ‘names’ in the game putting their real faces & voices forward on camera, to express disappointment with homophobia. Every Little Helps, as they say, and I’m not about to turn my nose up at Patrick Bamford volunteering himself to go on the telly and chastise people for hurling abuse (good lad, even if he does play for the wrong team😉). And I loved the plump soft-butch Canaries fan who was not having it!

The best and most pleasantly-surprising contribution imo came from good old Ian Holloway. Who would have imagined the gobby cud-chewing sod had such a pragmatic yet accepting perspective on gay rights? Apparently he even used to protect and check up on one of the gay players in his squad, when no-one else did. He says, “[the topflight players to come out next] will be heroes. Football will love you. It will be hard at first, you might think it’s fonna be hard, but it won’t. Unless you do it; how can we help you?” Ledge.

Paul Barber, CEO of Brighton & Hove Albion, also made some salient points, or so I felt. His club actually has a really cool if slightly-Orwellian surveillance system of their grounds, making it so when fans report homophobic behaviours, the exact perps can be tracked by their seat/ticket number, then correlating footage of their offenses can be retrieved to enable investigation and penalties/prosecution. Sad that abuse is so bad at their club that it came to that, though.

Did make me a bit ticked off that Joleon Lescott kept trying to make the questions he was answering all about race. It’s not that the issue isn’t important to keep central, or that racism & homophobia don’t share common traits, but frankly of late there have been other docus (longer and higher profile) and campaigns (better funded and more consistent) about racism in the sport. Give gays their space.

Also the focus on a few particular Enby/T fans as talking-heads irked me, as well—why should we care what a bunch of covert-homophobic faux-liberal closeted-Hetero hipster students from a posh university think about grassroots gay activism in a game for the working-class?

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by Anonymousreply 90February 7, 2022 11:47 AM

^^also Channel 4 undermined their own point somewhat by accidentally admitting that dirty money is the main factor in keeping most famous players closeted🤭

...but that’s none of our business!!! Cough up for a season ticket at premium rate and sub to SkySports!!!!

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by Anonymousreply 91February 7, 2022 11:51 AM

[quote]Also the focus on a few particular Enby/T fans as talking-heads irked me, as well—why should we care what a bunch of covert-homophobic faux-liberal closeted-Hetero hipster students from a posh university think about grassroots gay activism in a game for the working-class?

Did it cover Joe White's experience of going to Wembley for the Euros?

[quote]Joe says that they decided to wear make up because it was such a huge match and because they wanted to feel "authentically me" at their first game back after such a long time away from the terraces. "It was treated completely the way it should be," they say.

Literally *astonished* that people attending a football match and who paid a lot of money to watch their team compete couldn't give a fuck that a tall bloke in the stands had a bit of lippy on.

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by Anonymousreply 92February 7, 2022 12:05 PM

A little sad that Bamford was the only one who agreed to take part in this. And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but at some point it seemed like he was talking from his own experience of having a gay teammate. Especially when he said something about being comfortable making gay jokes around them, or something like that. I thought that was interesting. But maybe I'm imagining things.

by Anonymousreply 93February 7, 2022 1:18 PM

[quote] at some point it seemed like he was talking from his own experience of having a gay teammate.

Well, if what Evra and also statistics estimate is true, then there is almost certainly a gay player somewhere in the ranks of Leeds United F.C. Whether or not that player is a current first-string squad member or not is another question. But it would certainly be interesting to know.

If there is an XI Leeds player who’s gay, do we suppose that player gave Bamford encouragement to speak freely on the programme? Or did they discuss what info to share before the interviews?

Leeds are a very unfamiliar team to me (don’t know much about Northern teams who aren’t Liverpool), but I will say that I hope the gay player is not their defender Robin Koch, because the resultant bantering-off about that would be awful. We the educated gays know that ‘Koch’ in German is equivalent to ‘Cook’ in English, and that the last syllable has a soft pronounciation, but there are many Leeds supporters and detractors alike who won’t know or care.

by Anonymousreply 94February 7, 2022 1:50 PM

Back in 2015, an idiot 22-year old midfielder for Fulham named Ryan Tunnicliffe earned himself a two-match ban and a £5 grand fine from the F.A., for ‘unprofessional conduct’ i.e. Tweeting a derogatory homophobic comment (“sausage boy”) @Patrick Bamford.

Tunnicliffe was a bang-average player without the clout to be dishing insults to his rival colleagues, as it turned out; a free loan from Manchester United’s academy who nobody at either club wanted anyway. Bet Ryan isn’t feeling so clever watching Bamford pick up England caps and appear in tv documentaries, as he himself struggles on trying to avoid relegation out of the EFL before he’s put out to pasture (he’s almost aged 30, clock’s ticking). Sad!

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by Anonymousreply 95February 7, 2022 4:59 PM

Homophobes can sometimes tend to be curious or deeply self-loathing themselves, so I wonder if maybe Tunnicliffe was repressing an unwanted and shocking attraction on his part to Bamford that he couldn’t process.

He’s a puerile and cowardly little prick whether that’s true or not, of course. Our Paddy could do so much better.

by Anonymousreply 96February 7, 2022 11:08 PM

R92 personally I can’t stand that Joe White kid, think he’s just an attention-seeking white boy who deep down feels envious of women and gays finally getting a voice in *his* culture. He’s basically unwitting covert MRA. Can’t stand that gay orgs are giving self-centred performative ersatz twerps like that a voice. But YMMV. Last year some absolute clown here on DL went headloss at me for daring to criticise his integrity.

by Anonymousreply 97February 8, 2022 3:26 PM

This might be a controversial comment, but from talking with many fans of all stripes, I’ve gleaned that it’s the po-faced hectoring and censorship (particularly from the ‘queer’ camps of interlopers) that supporters dislike and get riled by, rather than the visible presence or attendance of gay people in the sport.

Many fans I’ve spoken to would rather have a casual friendly good-natured banter with a gay fan or player without having to sweat and handwring over whether they’re saying the right thing or if anyone’s looking over their shoulder.

Not sure how I feel about that, but this is the sentiment I’m hearing.

by Anonymousreply 98February 9, 2022 11:59 AM

'the po-faced hectoring' - not sure what that means. But yeah, I get the sentiment of your post. People feel like they walk on egg shells, now that every little remark gets people tarred and feathered. Even the the religious right is in awe that they are not the most rigid anymore.

by Anonymousreply 99February 9, 2022 12:21 PM

now why have i just seen some bloke on twitter call david de gea ‘de poof’?

like it doesn’t even work babes. surely if anything you’d go for the obvious classic choice of ‘de gaya’

these fanboy clowns can’t even get homophobia right

by Anonymousreply 100February 10, 2022 10:08 AM

Patrice has clowned Man C*ty on more than one occasion. He’s a good egg in my book.

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by Anonymousreply 101February 10, 2022 8:27 PM

If Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t one of the sweetboys in the Prem closet I will be shocked and let down 😔

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by Anonymousreply 102February 11, 2022 2:05 PM

Skip Hendo was like I’m gonna make a team that is so bisexual

...and then he DID💫

Captain Leader Legend🦁🦁🦁

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by Anonymousreply 103February 11, 2022 10:44 PM

Nice of Patrice to throw one of the most diverse and accepting and vocally rights-defending football Leagues in the world under the bus. Cheers for that. I’m sure La Liga and the Confederation of African Football way better on that score🙄

by Anonymousreply 104February 13, 2022 6:17 PM

Giroud & Pogba are the French players of Now. Evra is passĂŠ, last decade.

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by Anonymousreply 105February 14, 2022 7:08 PM
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