MADRID, 9 One. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Australian footballer Josh Cavallo, the first active player to publicly declare his homosexuality, has denounced the homophobic insults he suffered during the A-League match between his team, Adelaide United, and Melbourne Victory, and has assured that “the hate will never win. “
“I am not going to pretend that I did not see or hear the homophobic slurs. Words cannot say how disappointed I was. As a society, it shows that we are still facing these problems in 2022. This should not be acceptable and we must do more to hold people accountable. these people. Hate will never win. Thank you all for the positive messages, love and support, that far outweighs negativity, “he posted on his social networks.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who in October became the only active male professional footballer to come out as gay in one of the world’s major leagues, was insulted by the public after entering as a second-half substitute in the tie in AAMI Park (1-1).
Both clubs strongly condemned what happened, while the Australian league intends to punish anyone found involved. “There is no room for bullying, harassment or abuse in Australian football and we have zero tolerance for this harmful behavior,” said Australian Professional Leagues Executive Director Danny Townsend.
In addition, Cavallo asked the social networks Instagram and Twitter to do more in the fight against homophobia. “I don’t want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that I have received. I really knew, being who I am, that I was going to encounter this. It is a sad reality that your platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages, “he said.
“I will never apologize for living my truth and for being who I am outside of soccer. To all young people who have received homophobic insults, hold your head up and pursue your dreams. Soccer is a game for everyone, no matter who you are, of what color is your skin or where do you come from, “he concluded.