Carles Puyol apologises for 'joke' reply to Iker Casillas 'I am gay' tweet: I have made a mistake
Former Spain men's football team captain Carles Puyol has apologised for what he called a “clumsy joke” after his response to a tweet from Iker Casillas’ official account.
In Short
- Carles Puyol has apologised for what he called a clumsy joke
- Iker Casillas announced that he is gay but later posted a clarification
- Carles Puyol had responded to Casilass' 'I am a gay' tweet
Former Spain captain and Barcelona defender Carles Puyol has issued an apology for what he called a 'clumsy joke' after his response to an I am a gay tweet from Iker Casillas’ official account.
A post on Casillas' official account on Sunday said: "I hope you respect me: I'm gay" to which Puyol responded: "The time has come to tell our story, Iker."
The post on the Casillas account was later deleted and he said his account had been hacked and he apologised to his fans and the LGBT community, as did Puyol for what he said was a "clumsy joke".
That response has also now been deleted by Puyol, who apologised after receiving strong criticism on social media.
Me he equivocado. Perd³n por una broma torpe sin ninguna mala intenci³n y absolutamente fuera de lugar. Entiendo que puede haber herido sensibilidades. Todo mi respeto y apoyo a la comunidad LGTBIQA+— Carles Puyol (@Carles5puyol) October 9, 2022
"I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place. I understand that it may have hurt sensitivities. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA+ community," Puyol's response read.
Spanish media reports said Casillas' initial Twitter post could have been in response to the speculation about his private life following his separation from Sara Carbonero last year.
Casillas was married to sports journalist Sara Carbonero for five years before announcing their separation in March 2021. The couple also has two sons from their marriage. The former Real Madrid captain announced last year that he would be separating from his wife, saying they would continue to be devoted parents to their sons.
Cavallo criticised the Spanish duo for making fun of the issue.
"@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing," Cavallo, who became the first active A-League player to come out as gay last year, said on Twitter.
"It's a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful," Cavallo said