A few weeks back, Roberto Mancini was called a 'poof' and a 'faggot' by Napoli's rather coarse gaffer Maurizio Sarri. Mancini's avowed status as a heterosexual didn't prevent him falling victim to homophobic abuse at the hands of his counterpart.
Sarri denied he was homophobic, citing the heat of the moment as an excuse for his outburst and insisting, by way of mitigation, that he had 'many gay friends'. His defence was somewhat undermined by previous comments lamenting
His defence, received coolly to begin with, was further undermined by the widespread recollection of his previous comments on the decline of physicality with the Italian game.
Football has become a sport for fags. We suffered twice as many fouls, but we had more yellow cards. It’s a contact sport in Italy but the whistle is blown a lot more than in England because of the interpretation by homosexuals.
Either way, Sarri apologised for his homophobic insults and now the spotlight on homophobia within the game shifts to Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the target this time. The Malaga supporters are an earthy bunch and take a dim view of his metrosexual ways.
While he was shaping up to take a penalty in Real Madrid's draw in Malaga yesterday, the home supporters roared 'Sal del armario!' at him, meaning 'Come out of the closet!'
The abuse may have had an impact. Ronaldo missed the penalty and Real were held to a 1-1 draw.
*Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was named partly after Ronald Reagan, indicating that his father - apparently more instrumental in the naming process than the stereotypical Dad - may not have been a liberal man either. He surely didn't like communists anyway.
[101gg]
