Hector Bellerin has spoken candidly about homophobia in football, arguing that the sport is actively driving away players who do not identify as heterosexual.
The Real Betis right-back, who is 31 years old, has long been one of the most outspoken figures in the game when it comes to social issues and equal rights.
Appearing on Catalan talk show Cara Al Show, as carried by RAC1, Bellerin was asked about the continued absence of openly gay players in the men’s professional game.
“It’s a question I get asked a lot and I haven’t met anyone,” Bellerin said, acknowledging the persistent nature of the issue at every level of football.
He revealed that a conversation with an anthropologist had provided him with a particularly striking insight into why the problem remains so deeply embedded in the sport.
“I once spoke to an anthropologist and he told me that players who don’t consider themselves heterosexual are moving up the age groups and leaving every year because they are not safe spaces,” Bellerin explained.
The former Arsenal defender also addressed the broader issue of discrimination inside stadiums, pointing to anti-Muslim chants during a recent friendly between Spain and Egypt at the RCDE Stadium.
That incident was particularly notable given that Spain’s star player Lamine Yamal is himself a Muslim, highlighting the contradiction at the heart of such behaviour from supporters.
“Football has always been a reflection of society. The tense atmosphere that is felt and the impunity for certain behaviours have led to this type of behaviour being exhibited inside stadiums,” Bellerin said.
The former Barcelona defender extended his criticism to football’s response to the conflict in Gaza, drawing a pointed comparison with how the sport reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“In football, many things were done with the war in Ukraine, with flags on the scoreboards and others, and here in Spain with the genocide in Palestine, only Athletic did something when it was impossible not to take a position,” Bellerin reflected.
Athletic Club hosted a fixture between the Basque national team and the Palestine national team earlier this season, with all proceeds directed towards humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in Gaza.
Bellerin’s willingness to speak on such issues continues to set him apart from the vast majority of professional footballers, who rarely engage publicly with political or social matters.
His comments serve as a reminder that football’s problems with inclusion and discrimination remain far from resolved, both inside stadiums and within the structures of the game itself.
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