Arsenal’s Spanish full back Hector Bellerin has revealed that he is unsettled by the homophobic abuse he receives whilst on the pitch.
Bellerin has been subject to homophobic insults whilst playing, mainly aimed at his performances and his style off the pitch.
Speaking to The Times, Bellerin spoke about the abuse he receives, calling it “very dangerous”.
Some of it can get very abusive. Most of the abuse is online, but you hear it in the stadium, too.
People have called me ‘lesbian’ for growing my hair. There are other kinds of homophobic insults. I have learnt to grow a thick skin but it can affect you. Every now and again, you get a bit of self-doubt.
Bellerin has been very expressive with his style off the pitch, and told the Times that he feels he has become a target due to this fact.
The problem is that people have an idea of what a footballer should look like, how they should behave, what they should talk about.
You act a little differently and you become a target. There is pressure to conform. This is very dangerous. In life, you should be allowed to express yourself. People are happier like this.
Bellerin also revealed that he believes that it would be impossible for a player to come out as gay in Football, due to the amount of abuse that they would receive.
It is impossible that anybody could be openly gay in football, some fans are not ready. When it happened in rugby with the Welsh player [Gareth Thomas], people respected the situation. The fans respected his decision.
In football, the culture is different. It can be very personal, very nasty, particularly for players from the opposition team.
