Former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has claimed his Twitter account was hacked after a submit appeared saying he was homosexual.
The message below the World Cup-winning keeper’s blue tick-verified account learn in Spanish: “I hope I’ll be respected: I’m gay.”
It appeared together with the hashtag “HappySunday,” additionally in Spanish, and was ‘favored’ 250,000 instances, making a social media stir.
But, dozens of homophobic feedback additionally appeared, and it was later eliminated – and changed with one other tweet apologising.
The alternative tweet mentioned: “Hacked account. Luckily, everything in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.”
Partly fuelled by one response from ex-Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol, hypothesis mounted the unique tweet to Casillas’s greater than ten million followers, had, in truth, been a joke – one thing which has been criticised by supporters of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
Puyol, Casillas’s worldwide teammate, had posted: “It’s time to tell them about us,” and signed the message off with a coronary heart and a kissing emoji.
That tweet has since additionally been deleted.
Adelaide United left-back Josh Cavallo branded it “beyond disrespectful”.
Cavallo got here out as homosexual final October and it one of many few energetic male footballers to be publicly LGBTQ+.
He mentioned it was “disappointing” to see function fashions “make fun” of popping out.
Reports in Spain recommended Casillas’s first tweet could have appeared in response to rumours circulating within the media about his post-divorce relationship.
Casillas and his spouse Sara, a TV presenter, spilt up final yr after 5 years’ marriage.
The authentic tweet had come a day after Spanish media reported he was in a relationship with an area actress.
Casillas is taken into account a legend of Spanish soccer after being capped 167 instances for his nation and making greater than 700 appearances for Real Madrid.
In May, Blackpool’s Jake Daniels grew to become the UK’s first male skilled footballer to return out publicly as homosexual since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
He retweeted Cavallo’s tweet.
Source: information.sky.com”