Hector Bellerin has spoken candidly about homophobia in football, warning that the sport is actively losing non-straight players at youth level.
The Real Betis right-back, aged 31, has long been one of football’s most outspoken advocates on social issues and equality, and shows no sign of stepping back from those conversations.
Appearing on Catalan talk show Cara Al Show, Bellerin was again asked about the notable absence of openly homosexual players in the men’s professional game.
“It’s a question I get asked a lot and I haven’t met anyone,” Bellerin explained during the appearance, as carried by RAC1.
He revealed that a conversation with an anthropologist had given him a clearer picture of why so few non-straight players make it through the academy system into professional football.
“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 continued.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona defender broadened his comments beyond homophobia, addressing what he sees as football’s wider failure to tackle discrimination inside stadiums.
His remarks came in the context of anti-Muslim chants heard during a recent friendly between Spain and Egypt at the RCDE Stadium, an incident made all the more striking given that Spain’s standout player Lamine Yamal is himself a Muslim.
“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.
Bellerin also turned his attention to football’s response to the conflict in Palestine, drawing a sharp 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,” he reflected.
Athletic Club had hosted a match between the Basque national team and the Palestine national team earlier this season, with all proceeds directed towards aid for those affected in Gaza.
The gesture was widely praised, though Bellerin’s comments suggest he believes the broader football community has fallen well short in its responsibility to respond to humanitarian crises.
Throughout his career, Bellerin has consistently used his platform to challenge football’s institutions on issues that extend far beyond the pitch, and his latest comments reinforce that commitment.
