A Conquense player denounces homophobic and sexist insults in a match: “Fagot, brat, daughter of a bitch” | Football | Sports

Union Balompédica Conquense player Nacho Ruiz condemned the “homophobic and sexist” insults he received on Sunday during his visit to the CD Quintanar del Rey football stadium to play in the second RFEF regional derby that both teams faced. In a message posted on his Instagram account, the player narrated and condemned the insulting statements issued by some Quintana Roo fans from one of the stands. “Fagot”, “fucking faggot”, “liñata”, “daughter of a bitch” or “your poor mother who has a girl and not a man” were some of the euphemisms that were uttered, according to Ruiz himself, “by a large portion of the stands”. Another example of the verbal violence that continues in many football stadiums in the country.

“Regardless of whether or not these insults may affect me, which they do not, and far from being a victim, because I can receive words or threats in networks simply because of the way I dress and I never speak about them, I think it is unfortunate that in the 21st century there is still this hatred on football fields, whether it is homophobia, machismo, racism …,” the 28-year-old points out to his 20,000 Instagram followers. “Let’s not make this normal, let’s make this sport not become hate, but rather enjoyment for people who go to watch a match. Let’s not make a beautiful sport like football ugly,” demands the Conquense defender, who is playing his first season at Union Balompédica and who, in addition to being a footballer, is a model and content creator.

The incident, according to the report of referee Jose Manuel Lopez Rodriguez, in the section designated for the public, forced him to activate the protocol against these incidents for two minutes after communication from the player himself, taking advantage of the interruption of the match. “He told me that he heard xenophobic and racist insults coming from the stands. Immediately afterwards, we activated the protocol and reported it to the field representative so that he could issue a warning via the public address system requesting that such behavior not be repeated. The match resumed without any further incident after the announcement via the public address system.” The referee explains that “the match was stopped for two minutes, a time that was later neutralized,” stressing that “the refereeing team never heard the insults.”

The player receives many messages of support through social networks. Union Balompédica Conquense has defended its side with a message on its X account denouncing the “homophobic and sexist insults” it has been subjected to. Football should be a space for everyone to respect and enjoy. We are confident that the person responsible will be punished. The team said in a statement: “We are with you, Nacho. All my support for Nacho Ruiz.” Sports and competition do not represent miserable situations like those we witnessed in the Cuenca derby. Those who insult and harass must be removed; “To the sexists and homophobes who do not represent our society at all,” asked the Minister of Equality of Castilla-La Mancha, Sarah Simon, on the same social network.

Ruiz will provide more details about the episode at a press conference on Tuesday at Conquence Stadium. CD Quintanar’s president, Pedro Navarro, also condemned what happened. “We are working hard to make sure that there are four illegal immigrants who tarnish the image of the team,” he lamented in a telephone conversation with El Pais newspaper. The club does not have cameras and uses WhatsApp groups for members and fans who were in the area where the insults were hurled to identify the perpetrators. He says that Navarro did not hear them because he was in the stands opposite, but he promises to “prevent them from entering the field” as long as he remains president. He also requested the player’s phone number to apologize “on behalf of the team.” He repeats: “Respect is above all else. This is a sport.”