Brazil striker tells millions of fans to stop using gay slurs, after being fined himself
Vitor Roque is prolific for Palmeiras and is likely to play in the FIFA World Cup, but has been punished for posting homophobic content. The post Brazil striker tells millions of fans to stop using gay slurs, after being fined himself appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
One of the brightest soccer talents in Brazil has made an unprecedented public statement against homophobia, having recently been found guilty of the same charge.
Vitor Roque became the most expensive signing in South American football history earlier this year when he returned to his homeland from Barcelona, joining Palmeiras in a $26 million transfer.
Since then, the 20-year-old has hit 16 league goals, putting him among the top scorers in the Brazilian Serie A. He’s also part of the national team squad, which has qualified for next summer’s FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
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However, Roque recently caused a shock off the field when he posted to his Instagram account after scoring in Palmeiras’ 3-2 comeback win away to city rivals Sao Paulo.
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Included in a carousel of 13 images on the post was a picture of a tiger with a deer in its mouth. The Portuguese word for deer is “veado” and has historically been used in Brazil as a slur against gay men, stemming from its soundalike “desviado” which translates as “perverted” (shortened to “viado” in slang).
It’s also led to a long-held aversion from Brazilian male soccer players to the shirt number 24. This is because a popular national lottery called “the animal game” features the deer as the 24th option in a sequence of 25 different animals that players choose from.
In his Instagram post, Roque — who is sometimes referred to by his “Little Tiger” nickname — captioned the image of the deer being attacked, writing: “This is Palmeiras. Fight until the end and never give up.”
Controversy quickly blew up around the post as users pointed out the homophobic connotations. Roque deleted the image from the carousel, but the player was subsequently charged with contravening discrimination protocols under the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice.
A club statement read: “As soon as Palmeiras’ management became aware of the post… they spoke with the young player and explained that provocations like this are no longer acceptable in football, as they can lead to violence.
“The player understood and promptly deleted the image from his account.”
Upon learning that he faced a potential suspension of five to 10 games, as set out in the code, Roque defended his actions.
“I don’t think a suspension is warranted… an educational conversation would be sufficient. But I also want to say that it wasn’t about anything homophobic, as many are suggesting,” the striker told Brazilian reporters.
“It was just a joke, posted without any malice. But they’re already taking it the wrong way, and I apologize in advance to anyone who thinks that.”
Vitor Roque says Brazilian soccer must ‘evolve’ on homophobia
Roque may have protested his innocence, but the slur he used is well-known in Brazilian football.
The situation was exacerbated by the fact Sao Paulo were also facing a rap for homophobic chanting by their supporters in a league game against Corinthians in July.
That chant included derogatory references to various former Corinthians players, including Ronaldo and Vampeta, who were both part of Brazil’s FIFA World Cup-winning squad in 2002.
Both cases reached the national sports court, where Palmeiras, representing Roque, and Sao Paulo were able to negotiate settlements.
Sao Paulo agreed to a club fine of US $18,500, while Roque was handed a $15,000 penalty. Unusually, both also agreed to publish and pin social media posts which would raise awareness of the need to tackle homophobia in soccer.
Sao Paulo put theirs up last week. The post reads “Against Homophobia” in large font, with a caption saying stadiums should be “free from any form of prejudice.”
Roque, who has 3.6 million followers on Instagram, posted his on Tuesday. “Homophobia is not banter. Homophobia is violence!” read the opening post in the carousel.
It continued: “Often, prejudiced comments are seen as ‘jokes,’ ‘banter,’ or ‘just part of football.’ They are not!
“Any form of discrimination hurts, excludes, and offends. There is no place for prejudice in sports, in society, or anywhere else.
“Normalizing homophobia perpetuates a structural problem. It encourages hatred that generates violence.
“We need to evolve. As athletes, fans, and citizens. As a society.
“Respect is non-negotiable, on and off the field.”
Unlike on Sao Paulo’s post, the comments were turned off on Roque’s.
Demanding that clubs and even players who are found guilty of homophobia use their own social platforms to speak out against discrimination is an interesting development, particularly in a country that’s famously crazy about soccer but where gay slurs remain commonplace.
A 2023 study looked at discussions on online forums in Brazil related to the prospect of male footballers who are gay or bi coming out publicly. The study found that 38% of the comments from fans on those threads were homophobic, a higher percentage when compared to similar studies conducted in the U.K. and Australia.
As for the attitudes of players, one encouraging sign is that the stigma surrounding the shirt number 24 appears to be fading, at least with the younger generation.
Six out of 20 teams in the Brazilian Serie A currently have the 24 jersey allocated to players. All of those wearing this number are goalkeepers who are aged 23 or under.
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The post Brazil striker tells millions of fans to stop using gay slurs, after being fined himself appeared first on Outsports.
