{"id":49253,"date":"2026-06-26T18:44:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/hector-bellerin-non-straight-players-leave-football-because-it-is-not-a-safe-place\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T18:44:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:44:55","slug":"hector-bellerin-non-straight-players-leave-football-because-it-is-not-a-safe-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/hector-bellerin-non-straight-players-leave-football-because-it-is-not-a-safe-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Hector Bellerin \u2013 \u201cNon-straight players leave football because it is not a safe place.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/hector-bellerin-non-straight-players-leave-football-because-it-is-not-a-safe-place\/#%E2%80%9CSoccer_has_the_same_problems_as_society%E2%80%9D_%E2%80%93_Bellerin\" >\u201cSoccer has the same problems as society\u201d \u2013 Bellerin<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/hector-bellerin-non-straight-players-leave-football-because-it-is-not-a-safe-place\/#Bellerin_criticizes_comparison_between_Ukraine_and_Palestine\" >Bellerin criticizes comparison between Ukraine and Palestine<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p>Former Arsenal and current Real Betis right-back Hector Bellerin says homophobia is taking players away from the game. Bellerin, 31, has always been outspoken about social issues and equal rights, and continues to advocate for change in football.<\/p>\n<p>One topic he has not been afraid to talk about is the lack of openly gay players in the men&#8217;s game, and Bellerin was asked about it again during an appearance on a Catalan talk show.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a question I get asked a lot, but I&#8217;ve never met anyone,&#8221; he explained on the Kara Al Show, reported by RAC1.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I once spoke to an anthropologist who said that players who don&#8217;t identify as straight are moving up in age groups every year because it&#8217;s not a safe space,&#8221; he continued.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CSoccer_has_the_same_problems_as_society%E2%80%9D_%E2%80%93_Bellerin\"><\/span>\u201cSoccer has the same problems as society\u201d \u2013 Bellerin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-320x240.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-414x310.jpg.webp 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-536x402.jpg.webp 536w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-630x472.jpg.webp 630w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-632x474.jpg.webp 632w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-768x575.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-770x577.jpg.webp 770w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin-1044x783.jpg.webp 1044w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ESP-Cup-Bellerin.jpg.webp 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 770px, (min-width:1020px) 630px, (min-width:900px) 880px, (min-width:680px) 97vw, (min-width:414px) 414px, 100vw\"><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hector Bellerin plays for Real Betis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Anti-Muslim chants were also heard during the recent friendly match between Spain and Egypt at the RCDE Stadium. This is despite the fact that Spain&#8217;s star player Lamine Yamal is himself a Muslim.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Football has always been a reflection of society. The tense atmosphere and the impunity of certain acts contribute to the manifestation of this type of behavior inside stadiums,&#8221; Bellerin said.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bellerin_criticizes_comparison_between_Ukraine_and_Palestine\"><\/span>Bellerin criticizes comparison between Ukraine and Palestine<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro-320x157.jpeg.webp 320w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro-414x203.jpeg.webp 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro-630x309.jpeg.webp 630w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro-768x377.jpeg.webp 768w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro-770x378.jpeg.webp 770w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro-900x441.jpeg.webp 900w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bellerin-Giro.jpeg.webp 948w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 770px, (min-width:1020px) 630px, (min-width:900px) 880px, (min-width:680px) 97vw, (min-width:414px) 414px, 100vw\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image via La Sexta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The former Barcelona defender also compared the massacre in Palestine to Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine and criticized the football world&#8217;s lack of response.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In football, a lot was done during the Ukraine war, with flags on the scoreboard, but here in Spain there was a Palestinian massacre and Athletic were the only ones who did something in a situation where it was impossible not to take a position,&#8221; Bellerin reflected.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this season, Athletic Club hosted a match between the Basque national team and the Palestinian national team, with all proceeds going to support those suffering in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Arsenal and current Real Betis right-back Hector Bellerin says homophobia is taking players away from the game. Bellerin, 31, has always been outspoken about social issues and equal rights, and continues to advocate for change in football. One topic he has not been afraid to talk about is the lack of openly gay players [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-49253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}