The German professional soccer club VfL Wolfsburg disciplined player Kevin Behrens after he refused to autograph a gay pride shirt and made comments considered homophobic toward a fan who requested it.
The player allegedly refused to sign a Wolfsburg shirt that featured a rainbow logo for the LGBTQ pride flag. Behrens also allegedly said "I won’t sign that gay [crap]," according to multiple reports.
Behrens has since apologized for the incident.
"My spontaneous comments were absolutely not OK. I would like to apologize for that. The issue was clearly discussed internally, and I ask for your understanding that I do not wish to comment further on it," Behrens said in a statement.
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VfL Wolfsburg released a statement addressing the issues earlier this week.
"During an internal meeting, statements were made that were not in line with VfL Wolfsburg’s stance. The incident was immediately dealt with internally. VfL Wolfsburg stresses that it is aware of its social responsibility. The club and its employees stand for diversity and tolerance, and fundamental values, such as respect, honesty and openness, have always been firmly anchored in the club’s philosophy," the statement said.
In a page on its official website dedicated to diversity, Wolfsburg said it has "regularly been setting an example for diversity and against discrimination for years."
Multiple reports have indicated Behrens was suspended from the team. However, there are also multiple reports that indicate he is still participating in training sessions with the team.
VfL Wolfsburg has not responded to request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Behrens joined the team in January after three years at Union Berlin. He earned a call-up to the German national team early last season. His international debut came last October, when he played as a substitute in a 2-2 draw against the United States.
He has made three substitute appearances for Wolfsburg this season totaling 42 minutes.
Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold, who has proudly worn a rainbow captain's armband for two seasons in solidarity, condemned Behrens’ comments.
"Kevin apologized for something that was definitely not good. Everyone makes mistakes. One thing is clear: Something like this should not happen again, but everyone deserves a second chance," Arnold told reporters.
Behrens is not the first person accused of homophobia resulting in backlash, sanctions or discipline in the world of soccer.
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In May, France's sports minister called for football club Monaco to be sanctioned after one of its players, Mohamed Camara, covered an LGBTQ support message on his jersey during the team's final league game.
French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra called Mohamad Camara's actions "unacceptable" and for "firm sanctions" against both the player and the club.
Camara, who is Muslim, covered the badge with white tape and refused to participate in a pregame photo in front of a banner carrying the same message.
"Homophobia is not an opinion, it’s a crime," Aurore Bergé, the French minister of equality, wrote on X. "And homophobia kills. There must be strict punishment for Mohamed Camara."
Camara missed the first four games of this year's Ligue de Football Professionnel season.
In 2021, all Mexico national team fans were banned from attending the team's World Cup qualifiers after fans used a Spanish chant that included a word that is recognized as a gay slur. The team was forced to play its home qualifiers in an empty stadium and had to pay a fine of $73,000.
Mexican Football Federation President Yon De Luisa acknowledged the chant was a long-standing tradition for the team when she addressed the fan ban in a press conference that summer.
"For many years, that was the debate for us at the Mexican federation," De Luisa said. "That is no longer a debate. If it is discriminatory, we should avoid it."
FIFA announced its own disciplinary code to combat offensive chants by spectators in July 2019. According to the code, officials are expected to give one warning to spectators if offensive chants are used, but if they continue, officials must abandon the match, and players are sent to the locker rooms.
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