CNN has posted on its website a story about FCSB football club financier, Gigi Becali, following his statements regarding the request from UEFA addressed to European clubs to create women’s teams.
“The controversial owner of a leading Romanian football team has said it is “against human nature” and “dangerous” for women to play football — adding that he would quit the sport if he was ever forced to create a women’s team.
Gigi Becali, owner of FCSB — formerly known as Steaua Bucharest — and a former member of the Romanian parliament who resigned after being convicted for corruption, has previously made racist, sexist and homophobic remarks,” CNN informs.
Becali recently reacted to the UEFA recommendation live on a private TV station. CNN presents him as a person who has been convicted of kidnap and once received an award for being the most homophobic person in Romania.
CNN further quotes Becali as saying: “I’ll quit football! You can’t do things against God’s will.”
Asked whether it would be a way of aligning Romanian football to Western football ideas, Becali replied it would be tantamount to “aligning to Satan’s ideas.”
He continued: “How can a woman play football? She isn’t built for playing football. Her body isn’t made for football. It’s dangerous. The female was created to be beautiful, to attract the opposite sex. We are affecting women by letting them play football or by allowing them to box. They should play handball, volleyball, basketball, but not aggressive sports.”
In a statement to CNN Sport, UEFA said the organization found intolerant behavior “deplorable,” adding that it had “always shown zero tolerance for any form of discrimination.”
“The fight to eliminate discrimination, intolerance and racism from football is a major priority for our organization,” the statement read.
Read the full story here.