Iker Casillas claims that his Twitter account was hacked after a tweet claiming he was gay appeared on it.
“I hope to be respected: I’m gay,” he tweeted Sunday morning, a day after Spanish media reported that the former Real Madrid and Spain goalie was seeing a local actress. The tweet was quickly deleted, and a presumably explanatory post shortly followed.
“Account compromised,” it read. “Thankfully, everything is in order. Apologies to my entire following. Naturally, further apologies to the LGBT community.”
Casillas’s initial post elicited a response from Carles Puyol, another former Spain international, hinting that the two were in a relationship. Instead of claiming his account was hacked, Puyol apologized for “a clumsy joke with no malicious intent.” He said, “I recognize that that may have offended sensibilities. Respect and assistance are extended to the LGBTIQA+ community.”
The tweets were met with significant backlash. Josh Cavallo, an Adelaide United player who came out as gay last year, was among many who voiced their condemnation: “It’s terrible that Casillas and Puyol made light of coming out in the sport,” he wrote. “LGBTQ+ individuals are required to endure a difficult journey. It is beyond disrespectful to watch my role models and legends of the game make light of coming out and my community.
Jake Daniels, the Blackpool forward who in May became the first active British athlete to come out as homosexual since Justin Fashanu in 1990, shared Cavallo’s message.
Although openly gay players are still uncommon in the men’s game, there has been considerable growth in recent years. Thomas Hitzlsperger, a former Germany and Aston Villa midfielder came out in 2012 shortly after ending his playing career. The next year, former Leeds midfielder Robbie Rogers reversed his retirement to play for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.
Two Scottish referees, Craig Napier, and Lloyd Wilson, came out as homosexual in June, with Gala Fairydean Rovers striker Zander Murray being Scotland’s first senior male athlete to do so last month.
