Corinthians fans (most of them) present in Itaquera chanted homophobic chants against São Paulo. Referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio ordered the sound system to call for the criminal practice to cease.
The club cannot be blamed for the attitude of its fans. The club was wrong before, when president Duílio Monteiro Alves explained why there would be no one with the number 24 shirt. Childish nonsense for which he apologized later. And Cantillo is 24.
And, many years before, when Luis Paulo Rosenberg made homophobic jokes against São Paulo.
I am against the club being punished sportingly for homophobic or racist attitudes of its fans. It is up to the public power to discover the offender and punish, which is easier in case of racism, when there are few criminals.
I am also in favor of the presumption of innocence. I made my position clear in the cases of alleged rape by Robson Bambu and alleged racism by Rafael Ramos.
But Corinthians needs to do something educational. The president needs to give an interview saying he is as much against homophobia as he is against racism.
Explain to your fans that Boca fans commit a crime when they call Corinthians fans monkeys. And that Corinthians also commit crimes when they call São Paulo’s faggots.
In fact, it is good to inform prejudiced fans that there are many homosexual Corinthians fans too. Which is of no importance.
And let’s remember the pitiful and bureaucratic Corinthian note on the Day of Struggle against Homophobia, when the club changed the LGBTQIA+ flag to not use green.
Football cannot live on the margins of society. And the club that calls itself “of the people” has a fundamental factor in this fight.
Or will it be the “club of the homophobic people”?
