Igor Benevenuto: story of the first gay referee and homosexuality in football – International Football – Sports

In Brazil, the country that produces the most soccer players —according to the Cies Football Observatory— and in which the most people from the LGTBI community murder —according to the Brazilian LGTBI Alliance—, Igor Benevenuto has been almost a national challenge.

The man, who is now 42 years old, hated football like no other. As a child he went to the stadiums with the jerseys of all the teams in his region, but in reality he didn’t feel any. In matches, he was the only one who didn’t want to touch the ball. His interest in the most popular sport responded exclusively to the desire not to be seen as a stranger, because from a very young age he knew that he was not attracted like most of his peers. And, from what he heard in the Church, he had to prevent others from finding out.

In 1994, at the age of 13, when all Brazilians melted into the memory of the recently deceased pilot Ayrton Senna to ‘twist’ for the four-time championship in the World Cup in the United States, Igor internally denied having to watch the tournament. But on June 20, when Brazil made its debut against Russia’s first ever Cup, it was captured by the imposing figure of Mauritanian referee Lim Kee Chong, who wore a purple jersey for the first time.

The impact was such that the next day, in the usual game with his friends, Benevenuto said that he was going to play, but not as a footballer, but as a referee. There, driven by a deep fear, he decided that this would be his vocation. The same as now, thanks to the leap he made 10 months ago and a successful 23-year career, makes him proud to be the first FIFA referee to openly come out as gay.

(You can read: The unknown history of homophobia in soccer).

The challenge of hiding in soccer

The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1990. But by 1994, in soccer, as in so many other arenas, it was still rejected almost entirely. Without ambiguity, Igor Benevenuto decided to be a referee for one reason only: fear.

“The referee caught my attention because he was the one in charge, the one who imposed order and stood out with his clothing. Regardless of whether they insulted him, everyone had to abide by his decisions. And with all the discrimination that existed then, I decided that for a gay man, like me, refereeing in soccer, the sport of machos, could be the perfect hiding place.recalls the referee in a chat with EL TIEMPO.

During adolescence, Igor enrolled in a school to learn the rules of soccer and became the judge of his friends’ matches. When sometimes someone was missing and they asked him to play, he did everything to refuse.

“But are you gay or what’s up?”, snapped one or the other.

Fully immersed in his role, Igor barely responded. And in some cases he had to give in.

“I wanted to have the image of a tough man, who, because he was the one in charge, had to accept and obey, even if they didn’t want to. Many offended me by calling me homosexual, they even called me Margarida, who was the first gay referee and who was quite histrionic. They called it an insult, and it annoyed me, but I couldn’t comment on my sexuality.”, he points out today.

Igor remembers that his first whistle came as a gift in a box of marshmallows, his first cards were made with scraps from sauce containers, and his first uniform, a T-shirt like any other, barely stood out.

The time to dress like a professional came after he sold paddles to raise the money for the referee kit that was sold in a sports store near his home. With everything ready, the next step was to respond to logic. At the age of 17, he enrolled in an arbitration course at the Mining Soccer Federation. Finished learning, there was no misstep. Igor did not kick a ball again.

(Also: The brave transgender player who breaks barriers in Colombian sports).

the leap to freedom

In 1998, Igor Benevenuto graduated as a referee. Since then, his performances have been escalating exponentially. He began refereeing municipal matches, then state matches, and finally managed the Brasileirao, the national tournament. Last year he received the Fifa cockade, and this 2023 he fulfilled his dream of being part of the refereeing team in the Copa Libertadores. But to get there, there was a lot of water that she had to see running.

“Throughout my life I had to deprive myself of many things… not being able to fully express yourself for fear of losing your job or being criticized is not easy at all. I came to go through a strong depression because living your feelings in secret is not easy, it is painful. I couldn’t make many friends, I couldn’t have a partner and I didn’t get to live many experiences that I wanted”comments.

The path had been so tortuous that as soon as he saw that he had a certain support, and that perhaps the prejudices were less – in 2021 the Australian footballer Joshua Cavallo became the first active footballer in the 21st century to say that he is gay – he decided openly share his homosexuality. He did it in July of last year, on the podcast ‘En los armarios de los dressing rooms’, on ‘Globo Esporte’, in which he claimed to speak “without a filter and finally be myself”.

“Since I shared my guidance, professionally I have felt much better. I have shown that sexual orientation does not influence the quality or abilities that I have as a referee. I have really felt a lot of support. With the players, the coaches, the reporters and my teammates, when I arrive at a stadium, I am well received”, highlights Igor.

“In my personal life I have felt much freer. I am living a life without having to hide, without wearing masks, without being a character. People already know who I am, how I am and how I live. I was afraid of going to some places and that people would try to take advantage of my situation to hurt me. Now I can live calmer ”, she remarks to this newspaper.

Igor takes the red to homophobia in football

After Igor made his sexual orientation public, no other referee has done it. However, two active footballers decided to do it: Jake Daniels, from England; and Jakub Jankto, from the Czech Republic. That, he maintains, “is still worrisome.”

“Soccer has always been based on the idea that the person who plays soccer must be virile, must appear to be strong, must be a heterosexual man, which is perhaps why many remain silent. The issue is that as long as gay people do not position themselves, do not seek the space of rights that they have, they will continue to hide and suffer.”he remarked.

Regarding the stigma that exists, the referee is forceful: “If one puts all the people involved in football, players, managers, journalists, coaches and others, the number is gigantic. From what I have been able to find out, with the people I have been able to talk to and whom I have been able to meet, I can say that 40% of men in soccer are gay. Each one decides whether to reveal it or not, that is up to each one, but there are many gays in soccer”.

In his case, Igor recognizes that the value of football has been redefined. Although he confesses that he does not stop being afraid because he lives in a society that has a certain prejudice towards homosexuality, his situation is different from when he decided to be a referee for the first time.

“If it weren’t for football, in which I once hid, I wouldn’t be here today showing the world the reality and planting a seed so that other gay people can live with more peace of mind”comments.

Then, he finishes: “The truth… today I am free.”

That’s the final whistle.

ANDRES FELIPE BALAGUERA SARMIENTO
SPORTS EDITOR EL TIEMPO

@balagueraaa

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