Gay slurs ‘as serious’ as racism, says Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid (Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has called out the use of homophobic slurs and said that they should be treated with the same level of severity as racism.
The football star’s comments come in the wake of a confrontation on the pitch in a Real Madrid-Benfica match in Lisbon last week. Real’s Vinícius Júnior scored a goal and then was approached by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni, who pulled his jersey up over his mouth as he spoke to Júnior.
Júnior reported the incident to the referee, with his teammate Kylian Mbappé later alleging that he had heard Prestianni use a racial slur multiple times. Prestianni denied the allegations, and UEFA suspended him for one match pending investigation.
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A clip of the incident emerged on social media later on, in which Prestianni appears to be using a Spanish gay slur rather than a racial slur.
Courtois was asked about the confrontation at a press conference on 24 February. “It seems bad to me. Those are homophobic insults, and it’s as serious,” he said, referring to racist language.
“I have also seen images of [racist gestures in] the stands at Benfica during the game, and I think it’s deplorable,” he continued. “You can like a player more or less, but those gestures are lamentable. I don’t know if Benfica will pursue those fans who did monkey gestures. A lot of things have not been handled well. Racism, homophobia… we cannot accept those things ever.”
Courtois concluded: “And if he didn’t cover his mouth there, we can imagine what he said when he did cover his mouth.”
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