Iker Casillas And Carles Puyol Criticized For Deleted "Coming Out" Tweets
Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas says his Twitter account was hacked after receiving widespread criticism for posting a tweet claiming he was gay.
In a now deleted tweet from his account, Casillas wrote: “I hope I’ll be respected: I’m gay.” According to CNN, the tweet came amid gossip within Spanish media which has linked Casillas to multiple women since his divorce.
In response, former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol replied: “The time has come to tell our story, Iker.”
Casillas deleted the post shortly after it was sent and later apologized.
“Hacked account. Luckily everything in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community,” Casillas wrote.
Puyol also later apologized in a Twitter post, writing: “I messed up. I apologize for a clumsy joke that wasn’t malicious at all but was totally out of order. I understand that I could have hurt people’s feelings. All of my respect and support for the LGBTIQA+ community.”
Josh Cavallo, the Adelaide United player who came out as gay last year, said on his own Twitter: “Joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing. It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl have to go through." Cavallo posted this before Casillas claimed he was hacked. “To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.”
There are very few openly-gay men playing professional soccer and it comes at a time when the sport’s governing bodies say they are trying to make the game more inclusive.
Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon also said the incident highlighted how much work needs to be done to make soccer more welcoming. “Yes, we’re on top of the league (for now). More importantly, social media today still shows how far from reality we are,” he tweeted. “Whether Casillas was hacked or not: I see too many posts that are far off. Waiting for the day this wouldn’t be news, ’cause actually that’s the problem here.”
The Spanish sports council (CSD) tweeted, showing its headquarters building adorned with rainbow decorations. “Much to do, to move forward, to educate and to raise awareness. We’ll keep going.”
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