Vitor Roque speaks out against homophobia after Palmeiras' STJD deal | OneFootball

Forward for Palmeiras, Vitor Roque, posted a statement against homophobia on his Instagram profile this Tuesday. The post is part of the agreement that the club made with the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) to prevent the suspension of the forward for a homophobic post after the game against São Paulo in October.

The statement was published in a photo carousel format, with messages against discrimination, prejudice, and violence.

“Homophobia is not provocation. Homophobia is violence. Often, prejudiced comments are seen as ‘jokes’, ‘provocation’ or ‘just part of football’. They are not! Any form of discrimination hurts, excludes, and attacks. There is no place for prejudice in sports, in society, or anywhere else,” says the statement.

“Normalizing homophobia is perpetuating a structural problem. It is encouraging the hate that generates violence. We need to evolve. As athletes, fans, and citizens. As a society,” it continued.

Vitor Roque was at risk of receiving a penalty of five to ten games of suspension, which would cause Palmeiras to lose their top scorer in the final stretch of the Brasileirão. However, it was agreed that the number 9 would pay a fine of R$ 80,000 and post a message supporting the fight against homophobia on his social media.

Recall the case

The forward was reported due to a provocative post against São Paulo after the comeback victory by 3 to 2 in the Choque-Rei, played at Morumbi. On that occasion, Vitor Roque posted an image, which was deleted minutes later, of a tiger biting the neck of a deer. Due to its homophobic nature, the athlete was charged under article 243-G of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.