Brazilian football’s gay rumours land judge in trouble - from Pink News - all the latest gay news from the gay community

Brazilian football's gay rumours land judge in trouble

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • August 16, 2007 - 10:59

The judge said football was a virile masculine sport and not a homosexual one.

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Football is for real men, not gays.

That was the stance Brazilian judge Manoel Maximiniano Junqueira Filho decided to take when making a ruling in a defamation case appearing before his bench.

That may be his sentiments, but the law doesn't call for that sort of ruling and now the judge could face legal actions himself.

The case was brought earlier this month by Richarlyson Barbosa Felisbino, a San Paulo player, who claimed that the manager from a rival team made claims that Felisbino was gay on national television.

Felisbino filed a defamation case against the manger, and the case was scheduled before Judge Filho, who has a history of homophobic and racist rulings.

Filho dismissed the claim, but not before adding a few of his own personal comments about the case.

"What I cannot understand is why the gay association of Bahia and a few columnists insist on promoting gay athletes in the field. Filho said about the media surrounding the athletes.

"Jeez, if this fad catches on, soon we will have a quota system, forcing the access of so many of them per team."

Filho said football was a virile masculine sport and not a homosexual one, and commented that a homosexual on the team would destroy the integrity of the sport and ruin team morale.

"And don't say that this opening will be in the same way that it happened when blacks started to be part of the teams," he added to drive home his point.

"If you were a homosexual, it would be better to admit it or to conceal it completely, however, if that was the case, it would be better to abandon the playing field," he added.

Filho's ruling is being appealed, but the rhetoric that the judge felt compelled to add has now become more controversial than the original case.

The judge is now expecting to face legal discipline and could be sanctioned for his comments.

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