Pep Guardiola hit with homophobic abuse by Real Madrid fans
Pep Guardiola was targeted with homophobic abuse by Real Madrid fans. (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Manchester City football manager Pep Guardiola reportedly faced homophobic abuse from Real Madrid fans during a Champions League match on Wednesday night (19 February).
Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick gave “Los Blancos” a 3-1 win in Madrid in the knockout round play-offs, condemning Premier League champions City to a 6-3 aggregate defeat. And the home fans were quick to celebrate, including singing homophobic chants.
According to Spanish publication Marca, Madrid fans began to aim chants at Guardiola – who managed arch-rivals Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, having made more than 260 appearances for the Catalan club – about 30 minutes into the game, as their side took a two-goal lead on the night.
The chant reportedly included mention of Chueca, an area of Madrid known as the heart of the capital’s gay district, although the word used can also mean “crooked” in slang.
“Oh, Guardiola, you look so thin. First it was the drugs, today you can see it in Chueca,” they sang, according to the Daily Mail.
Guardiola split from his wife Cristina earlier this year, more than 30 years after they first met. It’s been suggested that she decided “enough was enough” after he signed a new a contract to stay at City until 2027, reportedly reversing an earlier decision to leave the UK.
At the end of last year, gay TV presenter Matt Lucas claimed he had been subjected to anti-gay abuse by football fans before a match “twice so far this season”.
Lucas, a fan of North London side Arsenal, spoke out in the wake of research for Stonewall that showed a quarter of LGBTQ+ people do not feel welcome at live sporting events.
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