OPINION: It is Time for the Soccer Industry to Kick Out Homophobia

Hana Amdeta (SFS ‘23) is a journalist for the Compass Gender and Africa sections and a guest writer for the Caravel's opinion section. The content and opinions of this piece are the writer’s and the writer’s alone. They do not reflect the opinions of the Caravel or its staff.

United Soccer League player Junior Flemmings was recently suspended for calling another player a homophobic slur, drawing attention to issues of homophobia in the sport (Wikimedia Commons).

When Junior Flemmings of Phoenix Rising directed a homophobic slur toward San Diego Loyals midfielder Collin Martin, the only openly gay player active in major professional leagues, outrage erupted among soccer officials on September 30. Landon Donovan, manager for the Loyals, pressured his team to forfeit the game after the referee failed to give the aggressor a red card. The United Soccer League later suspended Flemmings for six games and issued an undisclosed fine. San Diego Loyal and Phoenix Rising then released a joint statement detailing their intention to create educational programs which will share the stories of LGBTQ+ players, staff, and supporters.

Homophobia is not new to soccer. However, responses as serious as this one rarely occur. This incident underscores the need to tackle homophobia in soccer and society at large. I believe other soccer teams around the world should follow suit and make educational campaigns against homophobia a regular part of communication with their viewers and supporters.

Running on Intolerance

Homophobia has become normalized in soccer teams around the world as a result of the cult of masculinity expected on the field. Research on masculinity and homophobia in soccer reveals that, throughout its history, soccer has reinforced traditional views of masculinity through physical strength, the perpetuation of heteronormativity, and the mistreatment of women and LGBTQ+ people.

Jose Manuel Garoz, a Spanish amateur soccer player, explained how “people think that football is for machos [and] that a gay man can dirty this image.” He described how after his teammates found out about his sexuality, they refused to take showers with him and frequently verbally provoked him. The threat of homophobia extends to staff as well. Jesus Tomillero, an openly gay Spanish soccer referee, quit his job after facing homophobic abuse from crowds. After returning to the Andalusian league a few months later, he faced death threats on social media.

Stonewall, a charity which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in the United Kingdom, highlights that seven in ten soccer fans who have attended a game have heard or witnessed homophobia from other spectators. In response to the pervasive culture of homophobia seen in soccer, Gordon Taylor, the Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, stated that “The Premier League didn’t think it was a big enough issue” in 2010. However, only 33 percent of fans thought that anti-gay abuse had decreased in the past 20 years, according to a 2009 Stonewall report on attitudes in the U.K.

Taylor’s disinterested response parallels FIFA’s position on homophobia today. While Qatar has recently assured the suspension of anti-gay norms during the 2022 World Cup, FIFA choosing to host one of the most important global soccer events in a country that punishes same-sex sexual relations demonstrates a lack of regard for LGBTQ+ fans, players, and staff.

This culture of homophobia makes it difficult for soccer players to come out, as they fear that they might face the same fate as other openly-gay soccer players who lacked support from their team. Robbie Rogers, the second gay soccer player in the United Kingdom, left Leeds United, citing homophobic speech in the locker room and from coaches as reasons that he did not feel welcome in the Premier League.

Getting the Ball Rolling

Homophobia is not an issue unique to soccer. However, as an internationally unifying force, soccer must be part of the response to the global problem of homophobia. Soccer fans spend hours a week watching the sport. On account of that, soccer teams have a responsibility to make challenging people’s prejudices a consistent part of the soccer teams’ communication with its viewers.

Last November, the Premier League started the Rainbow Laces campaign, in which players wore rainbow laces to make LGBTQ+ people around the world feel welcome in the soccer community. Similarly, the French League launched a campaign on May 17, the International Day against Homophobia, where captains, coaches, and referees wore rainbow armbands and started a series of efforts against homophobia. The French League distributed forms for spectators to report any sexist, homophobic or racist incidents in the stands, with punishments up to 22,500 euros ($26,425) and six months in prison. Referees are also allowed to stop games if players are targeted with homophobic abuse. In an effort to change the way homophobic spectators understand their actions, thousands of leaflets were given to coaches and players across France and a short movie was aired in stadiums and on social networks with the slogan, “Homo or Hetero, we all share the same shirt.”

Symbolic statements such as these are important for signaling that soccer teams do not support the homophobia that infiltrates their stadiums, their locker rooms, and the exchanges between managers and players. However, it is crucial that these statements work in tandem with efforts to educate. Symbolic statements on their own are unlikely to challenge deeply-held prejudices or counteract ignorance. As a multi-billion dollar industry, the soccer industry needs to use its power to invest in education that tackles homophobia and integrate it into the game to show that it does not profit off of division. Like the United Soccer League’s intention to use storytelling and the French League’s effort to disseminate information, soccer can be a critical tool in fighting ignorance around the world, if used in the right way. Soccer leagues should also use their platform to bring attention to different LGBTQ+ organizations, as well as different obstacles facing the community.

The issue extends far beyond soccer. By normalizing homophobia in public spaces, we normalize the alienation of LGBTQ+ people worldwide. We must tackle homophobia in all segments of our society. Part of the issue lies in the taboo nature of discussing homophobia in soccer—soccer organizations must step up and boldly address the problem to encourage fans to do the same.This communication should provoke discussions among viewers about heteronormativity and bring light to issues affecting LGBTQ+ people around the world, establishing a level of empathy and awareness about the harmful effects of homophobia.

With billions of viewers, soccer should be a means to change outdated and oppressive norms, not perpetuate them.

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