The president of the Italian Football Federation, Carlo Tavecchio, has a message for the gay people of the world: Stay away!
Newly released recordings of Tavecchio speaking to the online publication Soccer Life in June have surfaced on the Internet. In them, Tavecchio is asked about the then-recent sale of an amateur soccer league’s headquarters to an Italian real estate mogul named Cesare Anticoli.
“It was bought by that lousy Jew Anticoli,” Tavecchio allegedly responds.
Later in the tape, he makes a jab at gay people.
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“I don’t have anything against gays,” the 72-year-old allegedly says, “but it’s better to keep them away from me!”
Since the story broke, Tavecchio has claimed he’s the victim of an elaborate blackmail scheme and that he has absolutely no recollection of making the remarks, suggesting the tapes must have been “manipulated.”
But his excuses aren’t stopping local Jewish and gay rights groups from calling for him to be ousted from the Italian Football Federation.
Renzo Ulivieri, the president of the Italian coaches’ association, said whether or not blackmail was involved, Tavecchio’s alleged remarks were still “out of place.”
“Certain words shouldn’t be pronounced by anyone,” Ulivieri said, “and certainly not by the president of the Italian Football Federation.”
h/t: The Guardian
