JOSH CAVALLO has slammed Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol for being “beyond disrespectful” after a tweet from Casillas’ account said “I’m gay.”
Australian star Cavallo, 22, bravely came out as gay last year, becoming the first active male professional to do so.
And he has condemned both Casillas and Puyol on social media.
Cavallo wrote on his own Twitter account: “@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing.
“It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.”
On Sunday, a tweet from retired Spanish stopper Casillas’ Twitter account said: “I hope you respect me: I’m gay. #happysunday.”
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Barcelona legend Puyol responded to the tweet saying: “It’s time to tell our story, Iker.”
Casillas’ original tweet was then deleted, before the 41-year-old claimed he had been hacked and apologised to the LGBTQ+ community.
Puyol later apologised for his “clumsy joke” and also stated his support for the LGBTQ+ community.
He said: “I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place.
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“I understand that it may have hurt sensitivities. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA+ community.”
Cavallo has blasted the pair for making “fun” of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Adelaide United left-back came out as gay in an emotional video on the club’s social media page last October.
In a courageous statement, Cavallo revealed he was “tired” of living a “double life”.
He said: “I’m a footballer and I’m gay. All I want to do is play football and be treated equally.
“I’m tired of trying to perform at the best of your ability and to live this double life, it’s exhausting.
“I thought that people would think of me differently when they found out. They would start treating me differently.
“They would start saying bad things about me or making fun out of me. That’s not the case. If anything, you would earn more respect from people.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
