The German skilled soccer membership VfL Wolfsburg disciplined participant Kevin Behrens after he refused to autograph a homosexual pleasure shirt and made feedback thought-about homophobic towards a fan who requested it.
The participant allegedly refused to signal a Wolfsburg shirt that featured a rainbow brand for the LGBTQ pleasure flag. Behrens additionally allegedly mentioned “I gained’t signal that homosexual [crap],” in keeping with a number of stories.
Behrens has since apologized for the incident.
“My spontaneous feedback have been completely not OK. I want to apologize for that. The difficulty was clearly mentioned internally, and I ask in your understanding that I don’t want to remark additional on it,” Behrens mentioned in a press release.
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VfL Wolfsburg launched a press release addressing the problems earlier this week.
“Throughout an inside assembly, statements have been made that weren’t according to VfL Wolfsburg’s stance. The incident was instantly handled internally. VfL Wolfsburg stresses that it’s conscious of its social accountability. The membership and its staff stand for variety and tolerance, and basic values, resembling respect, honesty and openness, have all the time been firmly anchored within the membership’s philosophy,” the assertion mentioned.
Kevin Behrens of Wolfsburg throughout a preseason pleasant towards Brentford at Gtech Neighborhood Stadium Aug. 9, 2024, in Brentford, England. (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside by way of Getty Photographs)
In a web page on its official web site devoted to variety, Wolfsburg mentioned it has “recurrently been setting an instance for variety and towards discrimination for years.”
A number of stories have indicated Behrens was suspended from the crew. Nonetheless, there are additionally a number of stories that point out he’s nonetheless collaborating in coaching periods with the crew.
VfL Wolfsburg has not responded to request for remark from Fox Information Digital.
Behrens joined the crew in January after three years at Union Berlin. He earned a call-up to the German nationwide crew early final season. His worldwide debut got here final October, when he performed instead in a 2-2 draw towards the USA.
He has made three substitute appearances for Wolfsburg this season totaling 42 minutes.
Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold, who has proudly worn a rainbow captain’s armband for 2 seasons in solidarity, condemned Behrens’ feedback.
“Kevin apologized for one thing that was positively not good. Everybody makes errors. One factor is obvious: One thing like this could not occur once more, however everybody deserves a second likelihood,” Arnold informed reporters.
Behrens just isn’t the primary particular person accused of homophobia leading to backlash, sanctions or self-discipline on this planet of soccer.
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The intersex-inclusive Delight Progress flag alongside a Transgender Delight flag June 10, 2024, in London. (Mike Kemp/In Footage by way of Getty Photographs)
In Might, France’s sports activities minister referred to as for soccer membership Monaco to be sanctioned after certainly one of its gamers, Mohamed Camara, lined an LGBTQ help message on his jersey in the course of the crew’s last league recreation.
French Sports activities Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra referred to as Mohamad Camara’s actions “unacceptable” and for “agency sanctions” towards each the participant and the membership.
Camara, who’s Muslim, lined the badge with white tape and refused to take part in a pregame picture in entrance of a banner carrying the identical message.
“Homophobia just isn’t an opinion, it’s against the law,” Aurore Bergé, the French minister of equality, wrote on X. “And homophobia kills. There have to be strict punishment for Mohamed Camara.”
Camara missed the primary 4 video games of this yr’s Ligue de Soccer Professionnel season.
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In 2021, all Mexico nationwide crew followers have been banned from attending the crew’s World Cup qualifiers after followers used a Spanish chant that included a phrase that’s acknowledged as a homosexual slur. The crew was pressured to play its residence qualifiers in an empty stadium and needed to pay a superb of $73,000.
Mexican Soccer Federation President Yon De Luisa acknowledged the mantra was a long-standing custom for the crew when she addressed the fan ban in a press convention that summer season.
Soccer ball (Getty Photographs)
“For a few years, that was the controversy for us on the Mexican federation,” De Luisa mentioned. “That’s now not a debate. Whether it is discriminatory, we should always keep away from it.”
FIFA introduced its personal disciplinary code to fight offensive chants by spectators in July 2019. Based on the code, officers are anticipated to offer one warning to spectators if offensive chants are used, but when they proceed, officers should abandon the match, and gamers are despatched to the locker rooms.
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