Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has called for zero tolerance against discrimination, insisting that homophobia should be treated with the same severity as racism.
The goalkeeper spoke on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League play-off second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This comes days after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was provisionally suspended by UEFA.
Prestianni was accused of directing a discriminatory slur at Vinicius Jr. during Madrid’s 1-0 win in Lisbon.
While the initial allegation centred on racism, reports suggested the comment may have been homophobic.
The Argentine has denied the racism charge, saying his words were misheard.
Reacting to the controversy, Courtois said: “It’s just as serious because they are homophobic insults.
“I’ve also seen the images from the Benfica stand during the match and I think it’s deplorable to see that in a stadium.
“You may like a player more or less, but making those gestures is shameful…
“I haven’t seen if they’ve said anything about going after their fans who made those monkey gestures.”
The goalkeeper also criticised what he described as weak responses to incidents inside stadiums.
He insisted that the responsibility lies with stadium staff and authorities to act decisively when such behaviour occurs
Courtois said: “But with everything that has happened, there are many things that haven’t been done well.
“I think that racism, homophobia – all of these things – we simply cannot accept them and the insult is equally serious.”
He stressed that debates over the type of insult should not distract from the core issue, maintaining that any form of abuse has no place in football.
