"We deserve the right to live normally": FIFA referee from Brazil comes out
Created: 07/11/2022Updated: 07/11/2022, 2:50 p.m
By: Vincent Fischer
Homosexuality is still taboo in men's football.
Brazilian referee Igor Benevenuto has now acknowledged this.
Rio de Janeiro - Brazilian FIFA referee Igor Benevenuto has made his homosexuality public.
In a
Globo Esporte
podcast , the 41-year-old also criticized homophobia and machismo in football and in his native South America.
"I've spent my life sacrificing myself to protect myself from the physical and emotional violence of homophobia," Benevenuto said.
Brazilian referee Benevenuto fears for his life over homosexuality
“Gays are used to not being themselves.
We limit our behavior so as not to disappoint the expectations of the straight world," reports the referee of his experiences and demands: "We exist and deserve the right to talk about it and to live normally." Because football is seen as a man's thing , he was able to hide his sexuality in the sport.
"This isn't just about prejudice, it's about death."
FIFA referee Igor Benevenuto (41).
Because of rumors about it, he was also homophobically insulted at games by fans and club managers.
In Brazil, where most gays are killed in the world, he also has to deal with the fear of dying.
"This isn't just about prejudice, it's about death," stressed Benevenuto.
He therefore saw coming out as the only way out: "I want to be able to have relationships, I want to be a referee in peace."
Homosexuals face the death penalty in Qatar - Will FIFA nominate Benevenuto?
It's one of the few outings in men's soccer.
The English professional footballer Jake Daniels recently made his homosexuality public and received a lot of encouragement for it.
Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out in January 2014, is best known in German-speaking countries.
Igor Benevenuto is on the World Football Association's list of video referees for 2022 and could therefore be used at the World Cup in Qatar.
Made his homosexuality public: the Brazilian referee Igor Benevenuto.
© IMAGO / Fotoarena
However, homosexual acts are punishable in the emirate.
They face flogging, imprisonment, or even the death penalty.
FIFA, headed by President Gianni Infantino, regularly emphasizes that LGBTQ+ and symbols such as the rainbow flag are not taboo during the World Cup.
With the nomination of Igor Benevenuto, the association could send a clear signal.
(dpa/vfi)
