Alert: Cassano sets off a firestorm (homsexuals in football)

Euro 2012: Activists angry over Cassano gay comments​

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Agence France-Presse June 12, 2012 4:03 PM​

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Italian forward Antonio Cassano attends a press conference at the "Casa Azzurri" in Krakow on June 12, 2012 during the Euro 2012 football championships.​

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Photograph by: GIUSEPPE CACACE , Getty Images​

KRAKOW - Italy striker Antonio Cassano was on Tuesday criticised by gay rights campaigners for using a derogatory word to describe homosexuals and saying he hopes there are no gay players in the national team.​

During a press conference, the forward was asked a question about an Italian television personality's claim there are two gay and two so-called "metrosexuals" in the national squad.​

"What's a metrosexual?" Cassano asked the questioner, before adding: "If they're queer, that's their problem. I hope there aren't any queers in the national team.​

"But if they're queer, it's their business. Are there any? I don't know."​

Outspoken Cassano used the Italian word "frocio", which can be translated in English as "queer".​

"Metrosexual" has become a term to describe usually a wealthy city-dwelling man, regardless of sexual orientation, who spends a lot of time and money on shopping and his own appearance.​

Cassano's reply was largely laughed off but provoked a strongly-worded response from campaign group the Gay Centre in Italy, who themselves used an Italian slang phrase for doing something stupid that plays on Cassano's name.​

"Cassano says 'cassanate' (stupid things) about gays, showing his arrogance and irresponsibility," said spokesman Fabrizio Marrazzo in a statement.​

"Unifying sport and homophobia gives a dangerous message, especially to the young.​

"Cassano has shown that he has no respect, not only from a sporting perspective but from a human one, towards the many who follow him and consider him a great player.​

"He would deserve at least a yellow card if not an expulsion from the European Championships.​

"It is a relief at least that the coach Cesare Prandelli thinks differently.​

"In any case it is in fact football which will be the theme of our next Gay Help Line, the phone line which gives help against homophobia."​

After the exchange, Cassano turned to the translator and said: "You're not going to translate that to the Polish press, are you?"​

Homosexuality in sport and particularly football is a sensitive issue.​

There are no high-profile openly gay footballers in the major European leagues and many gay rights groups have called for someone to take a stand and become the first.​

Last year, German international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer told Bunte magazine that "those (players) who are homosexual should say so. That would take a load off their minds. And the fans would get over it quickly.​

"What is important to them is the performances on the pitch of the player, not his sexual preferences."​

But earlier this year Italy striker Antonio Di Natale said he thought the sport's macho culture would make it very difficult for a player to be openly gay.​

Former Nottingham Forest forward Justin Fashanu is the only English footballer to have come out later in his career.​

He killed himself in 1998 at the age of 37 after being questioned by police in the United States about an alleged sexual assault on a 17-year-old boy.​

Another British athlete, former NBA star John Amaechi came out but only after he had ended his basketball career.​

Former Wales rugby union international Gareth Thomas came out right at the end of his career but said he had not done so earlier as he did not want to be known for his sexuality rather than his sporting prowess.​

"I don't want to be known as a gay rugby player. I am a rugby player, first and foremost I am a man," he told Britain's Daily Mail newspaper in December 2009.​

By that point his eight-year Wales career had already ended and he only played on for a couple more seasons, including a switch to rugby league.​

© Copyright (c) AFP​

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First of all, what a moron. The guy should never go near a mic again. Prandelli should have called a silenzio stampa after the Russia game. We don't need this negative attention.

Secondly who do you think the gay players are? I would wager on Bonucci and Marchisio

 

Yeah i was just taking the piss.

 

From another board :



Alessandro Cecchi Paone, who is a famous journalist and a sort of Italian Manijak (the Bosnian guy you all know, not a maniac eh eh eh) as he came out of the closet a while ago, now pretends there are two gay players among the Azzurri as he had a relation with one of them, who told him who is the other one. It is probably true, since he never looked like a liar to me. He also defined Giovinco, Abate and Montolivo metrosexual.

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So apparently all this started from an italian z-list journalist

 

This loser is a d-list celebrity queen looking for attention. This is the problem in italy. The media are a bunch of savages. If someone on the team is gay, then it's their the decision to come out or not.

This event can derail to unity of the squad. But I hope they're over it

 

Italians are very superstitious people.

Maybe this whole story is an elaborate ruse to recreate history