Homophobia in Football

[Stuttgart88]

Did Savage have any homophobic embarrassments in his career?

[Charlie Darwin]

No specific incidences but Le Saux picked him out as one player who took a particular pleasure from it.

[SkStu]

Good anchor piece on Michael Sam

http://twentytwowords.com/dallas-spo...ng-out-as-gay/

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

No specific incidences but Le Saux picked him out as one player who took a particular pleasure from it.

I assumed Robbie Savage was at least bisexual.

[Cuyahoga]

I assumed Robbie Savage was at least bisexual.

Why is that .Because he dyes his hair blond ?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Why is that .Because he dyes his hair blond ?

Because of his latent overcompensating.

[BonnieShels]

Good anchor piece on Michael Sam

http://twentytwowords.com/dallas-spo...ng-out-as-gay/

I wrote a wee bit about Sam over on Krank.
Jonathan Vilma is a total douchecanoe.

www.krank.ie

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Who the hell is Jonathan Vilma?

[BonnieShels]

Google him. Player for the Saints

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Olivier Bernard said that he had a gay teammate at Rangers and nobody had a problem with him.

http://www.srtrc.org/news/news-and-events?news=2025

[BonnieShels]

Olivier Bernard said that he had a gay teammate at Rangers and nobody had a problem with him.

http://www.srtrc.org/news/news-and-events?news=2025

Well that's nice of them.

[DannyInvincible]

Because of his latent overcompensating.

In what sense? Do you perceive him to be hyper-masculine or what?

Savage denies ever having engaged in or taken pleasure in homophobic taunting of Le Saux, whilst it would seem Robbie Fowler both apologised for his cretinous antics and claimed (rather naïvely, in my opinion) that football would have no issue with an openly-gay player the other day: http://www.itv.com/sport/football/ar...m-my-mistakes/

Robbie Fowler insists it would not be a problem for any footballer to come out as gay now - and says he learned a valuable lesson from his infamous taunting of Graeme Le Saux.

Fowler was involved in a very public taunting of Le Saux in 1997 even though the former England defender was not gay, and has recently apologised for the incident.

Former Germany and Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger announced this week that he is gay, and ex-Liverpool striker Fowler believes a player's sexuality would no longer be an issue.

He told BBC's Football Focus: "Years ago it probably would have been more of a problem on the terraces. I don't think it would have been in the dressing room, certainly it wouldn't be a problem in a dressing room now. I don't think it would be a problem on the terraces now."

Talking about the Le Saux incident he added: "Certainly if things happen on a pitch the thing is you learn from it and I know I certainly have.

"And another important thing is other people can learn off something I have done as well. I'm thankful people can learn off me. It was wrong and we're sorry."

In a 2007 book, Le Saux also named Robbie Savage as having taunted him, but the ex-Wales midfielder insisted he could not remember any such incident.

Savage, who like Fowler is now a BBC pundit, said: "His book was his version of events, and I genuinely can't remember the incident.

"But what I will says is that they weren't my views then, more importantly, [they are] certainly not my views now."

Savage also welcomed the reaction to Hitzlsperger's announcement.

He said: "I think it's been magnificent - the football community is 100 per cent in support and rightly so.

"Going back to my days, if somebody came out in a dressing room I played in you would see him no different. Nothing would change.

"If there are Premiership footballers out there or any footballer in general I think it's fantastic to do [come out]."

Le Saux, a member of the FA's new equality panel, said this week that he was pleased Fowler had apologised.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....chances-696796

Gay rumours may have prevented ex West Ham player Ian Bishop from playing for England in the 90's.

[Stuttgart88]

I don't think this requires much comment. It kind of speaks for itself.

http://www.thescore.ie/neil-francis-...18405-Feb2014/

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't think this requires much comment. It kind of speaks for itself.

http://www.thescore.ie/neil-francis-...18405-Feb2014/

You can't do anything in this country any more mate, it's political correctness gone mad. You can't even write racial abuse in excrement on someone's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat.

[geysir]

Stewart Lee in that skit referred to a Tory, Peter Griffiths, who won a parliament seat in Birmingham in the mid 1960's on the ticket "if you want a nig**r for a neighbour, then vote labour". Harold Wilson in Westminster stated, (Birmingham conservatives), "having sent a Member who, until another election returns him to oblivion, will serve his time here as a Parliamentary leper".
Time magazine more famously carried a report with the headline, "Great Britain, Cruel to Lepers."

[Stuttgart88]

I though this was a good piece on the current Richard Scudamore controversy:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...hard-scudamore

[BonnieShels]

RFU investigates Nigel Owens homophobic abuse

The English RFU has launched an investigation into allegations of homophobic abuse of referee Nigel Owens at Twickenham last Saturday.
It is claimed that Owens, who is gay, had been the subject of discriminatory taunts by supporters during England's 24-21 defeat by New Zealand in the opening QBE International.
"We take any allegations of any abuse very seriously and are investigating this matter," an RFU spokesperson said.
The matter was first brought to light when a spectator witnessed the abuse from a group of men he estimated to be their mid-30s and subsequently wrote a letter to a national newspaper outlining what he had heard.
"I could not believe that a bunch of men half my age watching a rugby match in the 21st century could be capable of hurling such nasty, foul-mouthed, racist, homophobic abuse at an openly gay match official," read the letter published in The Guardian.
While the RFU stresses that allegations of abuse of any type at Twickenham are extremely rare, it states that it is taking the matter "very seriously".
"The RFU condemns all forms of discrimination and aims to ensure that all people, irrespective of their age, gender, ability, race, religion, ethnic origin, creed, colour, nationality, social status or sexual orientation, have a genuine and equal opportunity to enjoy rugby union in whatever form, on or off the pitch, at all levels and in all roles," an RFU spokesperson said.
Owens, considered to be among the sport's leading officials, has called for bans to be issued if the allegations are proven.
"If someone has gone to the trouble to send a letter to the paper and say that this was disgusting and the behaviour was totally out of order, then I would think what they shouted was pretty bad and if that is the case then these people should be banned from the game," Owens told The Daily Telegraph.
"They need to be told that some behaviour is not acceptable, that crossing the line of what is humour and banter is a fine line but if you cross it then you have to put up with the consequences."

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/intern...ophobic-abuse/

Good on the RFU.

[Stuttgart88]

Just out of info, I attended a really interesting public session on homophobia in football.

Summary of the discussion here

http://www.sportbusinesscentre.com/n...december-2014/

[BonnieShels]

You go to all the sweet gigs.