World Cup Shirts Highlight Soccer's Homophobic Atmosphere

The designer behind T-shirts using homophobic slurs regarding World Cup athletes says the shirts are not offensive.

BY Michelle Garcia

April 18 2014 2:34 PM ET

Sergio K. with one of his creations

A T-shirt company preparing for the legions of soccer fans heading to Brazil for the World Cup has designed shirts emblazoned with homophobic language regarding some of the top players.

Some refer to particular players as "losers" or as being "over," while others say things like "C. Ronaldo Is Gay," referring to Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, or that Argentina's Diego Madarona is a "maricon," the Spanish and Portuguese equivalent of "faggot."

Sergio Kamalakian, the man behind Sergio K. shirts, says his products are "inoffensive," according to Think Progress. He also told a São Paulo newspaper that he is not homophobic. Still, after the controversy over the shirts, sales actually increased.

Globally, soccer fans have been known to use homophobic and racist language against opposing teams. Football v. Homophobia was launched in 2010 to encourage people to stop using such terms.