Former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra has opened up about his experiences of homophobia in football after being fined for comments made after Man Utd’s 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain a few years ago.
Evra insists the comments he made do not reflect who he is, and he hopes the money he pays to anti-hate charities is used well.
He also spoke to the Times about calling out some of his teammates from his time at West Ham for comments they made about if they had gay players in the dressing room with them.
Evra says some of his teammates at the time were saying they wouldn’t accept having a gay player in there with them, and the Frenchman was critical of them for not being more tolerant.
“I lost the case, and I paid them and I am fine with that. But I am not fine with people trying to describe an image I am not,” Evra said.
He added: “Some of the players (at West Ham) said, ‘If someone is gay in this room then they have to go’ and [they referenced] their religion and I stood up and said, ‘Shut up everyone, are we still judging people for who they are?’
“I don’t want to prove myself, it’s about the way I’m acting every day, the things I teach my kids, the way I am to my friends and family and the world. I’m not trying to convince anyone.”
Evra seems to have learned from the mistake he made, and one has to hope it can end up being a positive in the long run if it also helps him educate others.