The South American referee from Brazil Igor Benevenuto has come out as gay in the past week another brave move and one that we are starting to see more and more often in sport and one that we applaud. Speaking to Globo Esporte: “Football is a sport which I grew up hating deeply.
“I couldn’t stand the atmosphere, the macho culture and the prejudice disguised as horseplay. To survive among the circle of kids who always used to play I put together a character, a masked version of myself.
“Football was a man’s game, and from an early age I knew I was gay. There couldn’t have been a better place to hide my sexuality. But playing wasn’t a feasible long-term option, so I went for the only road open: I became a referee.
“I am 41, and 23 of those years have been dedicated to the whistle. Until today I’ve never been the real me. Gays are used to not being themselves.
Brazilian referee Igor Benevenuto has become the first FIFA-ranked referee in football history to come out as gay 🏳️🌈👏 pic.twitter.com/rDTG245fOO
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 9, 2022
Brazilian referee Igor Benevenuto has told the world that he is gay.
He becomes the first openly homosexual FIFA-ranked official and is set to referee at the World Cup in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/I0ZFPXC3Og
— Football España (@footballespana_) July 9, 2022
While refereeing in Qatar this year, this is a huge step. Full support to Igor Benevenuto 🏳️🌈 https://t.co/YIl6f57K3f
— Tom Abadie 🇫🇷🏴 (@tomabadie98) July 9, 2022
This is great to see, especially when he will be refeing at this years World Cup in Qatar.