Gay group tackles football homophobia
The first gay and lesbian football supporters' group to be officially accepted by a Spanish club has pinned its shield to the wall of Barcelona's stadium and vowed to fight prejudice in one of the world's most homophobic sports.
As members of the gay and lesbian peña settled down to celebrate by gathering at the city's Quiroga bar to watch their team play an away match this week, the talk was about David Beckham - and not because of his famous metrosexuality.
When England's football players took on Spain in Seville a fortnight ago, journalists were watching home fans so hard for racist abuse that they failed to notice how Beckham was subjected to a barrage of homophobic insults.
"They spent more than a minute chanting 'Beckham maricón' ('Beckham faggot'), said the peña's spokesman, Josep Ribes. "We lodged a complaint about that."
It is a complaint that has since made its way to England's Football Association, which also did not notice the abuse, and on to the sport's global governing body, Fifa.
Countering the sort of homophobia shown in the Beckham chants is just one reason why Ribes and friends have founded the country's first gay peña, as the official supporters' groups of Spanish clubs are known.
"This all started because both I and a gay friend of mine were already socios, [subscribed members], of the club," he said. "The idea, obviously, is to support the team but also to fight against homophobia in football."
The second part of the task, he admits, is huge. "I don't know of a single professional football player in the world who is openly gay," said Ribes. "There was the English player Justin Fashanu, but he ended up killing himself.
"Obviously some players are gay but we are not interested in outing them," he said as the peña settled down to watch a Champions League away match against Lyon. "What we want is that, should a player come out, for it not even to be thought newsworthy."
The "maricón" insult can be heard at almost any Spanish football ground, including Barcelona's Camp Nou, when Real Madrid's midfielder Guti is playing. "I hate the 'Guti maricón' chant," said Ribes. "I just find it offensive."
Spanish football was slow to react to racism and is only just waking up to homophobia, but the country has one of the world's most progressive gay marriage laws.
The Barcelona peña's dream, in fact, is to read one day of a player marrying a gay partner - but only as a brief mention on the society pages. In the meantime, members worry for the first footballer to make the step. "It would be healthy, but there is going to be a huge fuss," said Ribes.
With homophobia common in dressing rooms and a top coach such as former Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari reported in the Brazilian press to have said he would never pick a gay player, no one is expecting any player to come out soon.
"Latin America seems the most difficult place," said Ribes. "Imagine if someone like [the Argentina and Barcelona star] Leo Messi was gay and wanted to be open about it." News that Barcelona was forming a gay and lesbian peña provoked not just a modest flow of petitions to join but also the support of some prominent footballing figures. The group is split almost equally between gay men and lesbians, with the latter forming part of a wider mass of women who make up a quarter of Barcelona's 160,000 socios.
"Some people were scared that violent supporters' groups from other clubs would threaten us," said Ribes. "But that hasn't happened. We haven't even had a single piece of hate mail on our website."
Earlier this month the peña received the ultimate backing from its club, with a permanent plaque on the stadium wall announcing its creation.
It recently organised the first meeting of European gay football supporters, who have also formed club groups in Germany and elsewhere, with England's Football Association in attendance.
The FA is already tackling homophobia, having helped Hampshire police arrest fans hurling abuse at former England player Sol Campbell during a Spurs-Portsmouth match. It has also hired campaigner Peter Tatchell as a consultant.
An FA spokesman said officials had not understood the Beckham abuse at Seville at the time. Thanks to Barcelona's gay fans, the FA-backed Kick it Out organisation has now complained to Fifa. "We are waiting to hear back," said spokesman Danny Lynch.
At Barcelona's stadium, director Xavier Bagués said the gay and lesbian pena was considered just one more amongst the hundreds representing 200,000 supporters.
เรารู้แล้วว่าทำไมลาลีกาเป็นลีกจักรวาล คนที่นั่นเขาแร๊งเรื่องพวกนี้มากเลยนะ ทั้งเพศที่สามด้วย ไหนจะทีมบาสสเปนตอนไปแข่งโอลิมปิคอีก
ปล บิ๊กฟิลฮ้าโดนเก็บแล้วยังไม่รู้เรื่องรู้ราวออกมาชมอีก ขาใหญ่ประประจำห้องแต่งตัวสั่งสอยอย่างเนียน 555 มิชช่า เชค ดีดี้ ไม่ได้ทำอะไรเล๊ยยย
** อุ๊ย ลืมใส่ลิีงค์
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/28/gay-rights-spain-football
แก้ไขเมื่อ 03 มี.ค. 52 16:05:31
fa เนี่ยเขาก็ดีนะ
