Football and homosexuality: two incompatible worlds?
In men’s football, homophobia is law and hardly anybody dares to break with the norm, with very few coming out of the closet. This, however, is in stark contrast to attitudes in women’s football.
Germany’s 2014 World Cup winner Philipp Lahm has once again reignited a burning issue into the footballing world – why isn’t homosexuality accepted?
Lahm, a legend of Bayern Munich and the German
Mannschaft, who led both sides as captain, has just published an autobiography in which he advises gay players not to reveal their sexual orientation to the world, nor even to their own teammates.
“Acceptance is still lacking in the world of football and in society as a whole,” writes Lahm, continuing: “If a footballer comes out of the closet, he cannot count on the same maturity in all his rivals nor in the stadiums where he competes. He’d have to put up with insults – who would accept that?”
“They should all accept it! Managers, fans and teammates,” replies Bernardo Vleminchx, a full back with Los Dogos, the Argentine national squad consisting of homosexual and heterosexual players.
Vleminchx, who also belongs to the Asociación Argentina de Deportistas por la Diversidad, is sweeping in his condemnation.
“It’s deplorable that in 2021 we still have to read these things,” he says. “It’s a setback in a sphere like sport, which is making progress with sexual diversity, with sportspeople coming out of the closet and working towards making this issue more natural.”
Yet the 36-year-old also recognises that football, especially in Argentina, is not very permeable to coming out of the closet.
“The football world is not prepared to greet homosexual players with open arms. But you must bear in mind that this is a topic never discussed in the clubs nor in the AFA [Argentine Football Association] nor the media,” said Vleminchx.
“You build bit by bit. Football is a closed world, it won’t be easy but everything can be worked out, given time.”
Among the many differences between men’s and women’s football, the most particular has to do with attitudes and acceptance of homosexuality – whereas for the men it is a subject never tackled, riddled with prejudices and hypocrisy, among women it has become totally natural.
“Among the girls there are no prejudices, many go public, forming couples and adopting children and there is even a transgender player in the Primera B Division, Mara Gómez,” observes Vleminchx.
The Los Dogos player finds an explanation: “The female professional league is very recent and when it was created barely two years ago, the issue was already there. And the best thing is that they all accept that some are lesbians and others not.”