In yet another example of the rampant homophobia in European sports, Croatian Football Federation president Vlatko Markovic has said gays are not welcome in his league.
“While I’m a president of the Croatian Football Federation, there will be no homosexuals playing in the national team”, Vlatko Markovic said in an interview with Croatian national daily Vecernji List.
Asked whether in his career he has met a homosexual footballer, he has replied
“Luckily, only normal people play football“.
Croatian gay organizations are consideration an anti-discrimination lawsuit against the 73-year-old Markovic, who was a young boy when the Nazis came to town.
It’s amazing to me how people hold up Europe as this gay panacea where all people are accepted for who they are, yet the European sports world makes the NFL and Major League Baseball look like a Pride Parade.
Hat tip to Towleroad.
on Nov 9th, 2010 at 7:40 PM
Stupid final comment ! Sport is only the reflection of the society you live in, that is true for Europe and the USA.
You have gay friendly states on both continents, in Europe it’s mainly in the north(Scandinavian,Germany,The Netherlands,etc…)further south with the exception of Spain people are less friendly towards gays and it’s even worse in Russia and the Balkan states (Croatia, Serbia). Don’t forget the latest mentionned are only free countries since the collapse of the USSR.
When I travel to the States, I feel only comfortable in the north-east, on the west coast and some big cities like Chicago, Miami, etc…
on Nov 9th, 2010 at 8:57 PM
It’s kinda silly to compare Croatia to the first world nation that goes acting like a sanctimonious role model to the rest of the world and whimsically invading other countries to establish governments that meet US standards.
Croatia is a shithole; the US hypes itself as the land of the free, equal and brave, except it’s all just smoke and mirrors. Different expectations.
on Nov 10th, 2010 at 12:53 PM
Update…
Markovic apologized for his comments on Wednesday, saying that he was “sorry for a clumsy interpretation. It was not my intention whatsoever to insult or hurt anyone.”
“I have nothing against members of any minority, least of all against those of same-sex orientation,” Markovic said in a statement on the Croatia football federation’s website. “Once again, I apologize to all those who were hurt.”