Football
Brazilian gay referee says football is the best place for homosexuals to hide their orientation
Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Filippov
Brazilian referee Igor Benevenuto came out, becoming the first openly homosexual in FIFA history.
“Football was a man’s game and I knew from an early age that I was gay. There is no better place to hide your orientation. Playing football was not a long-term option, so I became a referee. I am 41 years old, and 23 of these years I have devoted to refereeing. Until today, I have never been myself. Gays are used to not being themselves, – Globo Esporte quotes Benevenuto.
Benevenuto, 41, trained as a judge in 1998. He is one of the best referees in South America according to FIFA.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.