Brazilian Igor Benevenuto has publicly declared himself homosexual and became the first international FIFA referee to reveal his sexual orientation, as announced in a podcast released on Friday.
“Football is a ‘male’ thing and from the very beginning I knew that I was gay. There was no longer a perfect place to hide my sexuality. Playing was not a long -term option, so I went the only possible path: I became a referee “Benevenuto revealed in the podcast ‘In the Locker Rooms’, from the group Globo.
Born in the state of Minas Gerais and raised in a religious family, Benevenuto is 41 years old and has been a pitch judge for 23 years. He is part of the elite of Brazilian referees and manages matches organized by FIFA.
He grew angry at football
Benevenuto said in the podcast that he grew up “deeply hated” football and spent his entire life “sacrificing” who he was “to protect himself from the physical and emotional violence of homophobia.”
“He lived separately, a lonely child, with a hole in his heart,” he said, recalling his childhood, where, he admits, he played the role of “heterosexual”, a “mandatory” condition. to be a “soccer. man”.
Why did you consider becoming a referee?
He trained as a referee in 1998 after taking a course at the Mining Football Federation with his mother’s financial help.
“Being a referee puts me in a position of power that I need. Did I choose it to hide my sexuality? Yes. But more than that. I positioned myself as the owner of the game, the kind of authority and that automatically refers to a figure of strength, full of manhood, ”he explains.
Benevenuto stressed that there are “many” homosexual people in the world of football, but that “99.99% are inside the closet”
“There are referees, players, coaches, married, with children, separated, with a double life … It’s all there (…) We exist and deserve the right to talk about this, to live normally,” he declared.
leadership offenses
Benevenuto stated that at the arbitration establishment “it is not a secret” that he was gay and admitted that he was “quite respected”. He has not received any offenses from players and coaches, he said.
“Every time that comes from the leaders and fans, and every time that happens it’s visible in the minute. It’s a fight, but I’m not giving up,” he said.
Benevenuto added that he was “always” “advised” not to associate himself “with the gay image.”
“‘For my own good’, they said. Once they invited me to whistle the final of an LGBT competition and they convinced me not to because it wasn’t a good idea. And who went to whistle? A hetero referee. The hetero maybe; gay, no, “he denounced.
Benevenuto introduced his story on the podcast ‘In the Locker Rooms’, from the group Globo, which discusses homophobia and machismo in football.
In the previous episode, they released the testimony of former Brazilian midfielder Richarlyson Barbosa, who came to play for the Brazilian team and publicly declared himself bisexual for the first time.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
