Graeme Le Saux does not think David Beckham is a homophobe. He knows he is a
footballer, though. And the truth is that, in Le Saux’s painful experience,
the two walk comfortably hand in hand. A default mechanism, he calls it.
For 14 years of his professional career, pursued by groundless rumours about
his sexuality, in the heat of the moment opponents and sometimes teammates
would trawl their minds for the most hurtful insult they could hurl at him
and, once located, use it without remorse.
Poof. Faggot. Queer. Le Saux is an expert on the colourful excesses of
homophobic degradation. Looking back, he says that he endured the
spirit-crushing experience of being the first “out” gay man in football,
minus the sex. He is not gay; he never was. As he concedes in his
autobiography, serialised in The Times next week, he is different, though.
And in the reactionary world he inhabited, that was enough.
On Saturday, September 23, 2000, Le Saux was playing for Chelsea against
Manchester United at Old Trafford. In the 22nd minute, he jumped for a ball
and caught Beckham’s head with his elbow, cutting it and drawing blood, as
shown on our back page.
Le Saux’s recollection that Beckham then called him a “poof” is in itself
unexceptional. He says that he could eat up two pages of his book with the
names of players that spewed homophobic abuse in his direction. Indeed,
having originally included the anecdote about his confrontation with Beckham
in the first draft, he edited the passage, fearing that it would be
highlighted, without context.
He felt happier discussing it in an interview, however, when he could make
plain that there was no ill-feeling. In Le Saux’s mind, what separated this
exchange from the litany of verbal violence that he suffered weekly was the
status of his abuser. David Beckham: gay icon. David Beckham: smiling
sarong-wearer. David Beckham: friend of Sir Elton John. David Beckham:
talking proudly of his pink fan club on his first day in Los Angeles.
If he could not see the wrong, what chance the rest? “That shocked me,” Le
Saux says. “Not because I was offended, but because it showed it had become
acceptable to abuse me in that way. That this was somebody who is obviously
not homophobic makes it even more significant. I’m sure it does not cross
David’s mind to talk like that in, say, Elton John’s company, but as a
reaction to an incident, I was fair game to be called a poof.
“I could produce endless lists of players who threw a line at me about being
gay, or entered into whatever level of homophobic abuse, but with him it
made me stop and think, ‘Wow’, even somebody with his understanding doesn’t
get it. I’m not pointing the finger at David – I don’t dislike him and I
don’t think he has homophobic issues – but what he did says everything about
the general culture of acceptance that exists towards homophobia in
football.
“I mention specific players in the book, like Robbie Fowler and Paul Ince,
because they took their behaviour to another level. Yet what happened that
day showed me how far it had gone. In the simple context of a match it was a
default mechanism. I caught him with an elbow, genuinely not maliciously,
and because he had a shaved head at the time it split open, lots of blood,
very dramatic. He thought I had done it on purpose and his immediate
reaction was to say, ‘You f***ing poof’ or ‘You bloody poof’. We were
England teammates. I didn’t expect that. I know David isn’t homophobic and
last thing I’d want is for him to think this is an accusation. It is just
the way it was.”
The way it was for Le Saux in the early part of his career was lonely and
brutal. He arrived at Chelsea from a close-knit community on Jersey and
encountered a world of hard, uncompromising men who had nothing in common
with a teammate who dressed and thought like a student.
Once the false rumours started about Le Saux’s sexuality – heightened by, of
all things, his choice of newspaper and fondness for antiques and art
galleries – the harsh nature of his environment made going to work a living
nightmare. He was taunted by crowds at matches, by opponents on the field
and teammates in training.
The bullying reached its peak on February 27, 1999, when Robbie Fowler,
playing for Liverpool at the time, humiliated him by repeatedly bending over
and pointing his backside in his direction during a match at Stamford
Bridge. Ultimately, the ordeal proved cathartic.
Before that, Le Saux says that he often felt isolated and on the brink of
walking away. “I was losing the will to live and in any other job you would
just think ‘stuff this’ and leave,” he says. “I don’t know what made me
stay, really, probably the fact that I had this fight, this stubbornness and
a real passion for playing football. I took it badly when I wasn’t in the
team because, at that moment, there were no positives for me. I had no
opportunity to share my problems with anyone. I had no peer group. I didn’t
fit in with the first-teamers and hadn’t come through from apprentice. It
was a world of one.
“I wasn’t equipped emotionally or through experience to resolve it. Now there
would be a psychologist at the club to talk things through. That was the
saddest element: the lack of support. When the bullying was going on, nobody
ever stood up and said, ‘Lads, this is wrong’. People might say it was only
words, but they were not on the end of it, every day. Some wars start with
name-calling.”
In an episode of the situation comedy Seinfeld, friends Jerry and George are
mistaken for a gay couple by a reporter for the New York University
newspaper. When the article is published, Jerry goes to every length to
prove his heterosexuality. One of the comic themes developed is the
political correctness issue.
Jerry: “I was outed and I wasn’t even in.”
George: “Now everybody is going to think we’re gay.”
Jerry: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
It is a dilemma Le Saux knows well. “I knew if people thought I was gay it
could harm my career,” he says. “Managers might not want to play me, clubs
wouldn’t want to buy me, so I felt I should say something. But at the same
time I didn’t want gay people to think I was distancing myself because I
thought it was wrong. You can get trapped in this pattern of saying, ‘Well,
I’ve got gay friends’, but that strays into the area of saying, ‘I can’t be
racist because I’ve had three black men to dinner at my house’. If you know
the exact number of black men that have been through your door, you’re a
racist.
“Even now, every few years I am asked to contribute to the debate because
there seems to be a fascination with gay footballers – but it is all about
finding a gay footballer and exposing him, and that’s not the point.
“I didn’t go out of my way to stand up for gay rights, but my situation
dictated that I did. The way I see it, there are people in the gay community
that are going to be football fans and that means there are young people who
might be confused about their sexuality. They need support, so when Robbie
Fowler attempts to humiliate me in public, all the kids in that position
feel pretty s***ty about themselves.
“More than anything in my career, that offended me. What he did was wrong and
he has never admitted that. He still talks as if it was a bit of a laugh. I
just think there should be someone in his life who says, ‘Robbie, you were
out of order.’ ”
- Last night a spokesman for David Beckham said: “This allegation is
completely untrue. David would never say such a thing. It’s been seven years
since this match that Graeme refers to and he has never mentioned this to
David personally or publicly. Given that they have known each other for many
years after the event, it’s highly surprising to discover that this
matter has now been raised but never before. While we appreciate Graeme has
a book to sell, we refute these assertions completely.”
In reply Keeling Modena Italy. If Hitler, Mugabe or any other despot did one good thing in their lives should the world sit up and take note and be full of praise and attempt to blot out the evil. I think not. While Robbie'ssportsmanship was admirable the homophobic abuse does paint him as a character that is weak and is ready to exploit you when you are down.
tony, St Albans, UK
Keeling Modena,makes excellant points but I feel he is mistaken as most people are to think Fowler acted altruistically in admitting he wasn't tripped by the goalkeeper. I saw the match on telly and am convinced that Fowlers reaction was one of self-preservation.The referrees had just started booking players for diving and Fowlers dive was so obvious that he was frightened of being booked or sent off.
michael forster, batley, england
Fowler's antics were horrifying and basically if you do that to someone you can expect an elbowing. Whether that is right or wrong is immaterial; but you keep provoking someone and you shouldn't weep when you reap the harvest.
Imagine taking your sons to the match and seeing their idol offering his bum like that. It was revolting and he should have been immediately sent off and banned for at least ten weeks.
Having said all that, I would also like to point out that Fowler once pointed out to a ref (who had blown for a penalty) that in fact he had fallen over and hadn't been fouled. Those pictures travelled the world as an example of sportsmanship and placed our domestic game in a positive light. I thought it was only fair to remind people of this....
Keeling, Modena, Italy
Michael from Warsaw read yr first line again, then read the article again. Le Saux is saying that it was even worse coming from Becks BECAUSE he would appear to be more "enlightened" about homosexuality than, say, Robbie Fowler. Interestingly I was on the end of a similar dilemma this week - a certain black publisher of a well known real estate magazine in Poland called me (a white zimbabwean) a racist in pubic, because I called him on some pretty morrally bankrupt behaviour on his part. I'm not at all a racist and he knows that as we used to be friends, but I was placed in a horribly defensless position because protesting too loudly seemed only to endorse the accusation - the same postiion Le Saux appears to be in. But what seems even worse is if Beckham did call Le Saux a poof and is lying and covering up through his lawyers to protect his priceless "image" at whatever further cost to Le Saux's reputation, or iif in fact Le Saux is just lying to sell a book... footballers, eh!
Richard Hallward, Warsaw, Poland
Steve did you actually read the article? Graeme didn't write about Beckham in his book, he dropped it from the first draft and decided to talk it out over an interview instead. Of course this was the section of the book that the Times chose to cover on the first day of the serialisation - but that wouldn't have been Graemes choice.
All this is besides the point, the serious issue that Graeme is right to raise is the fact that even in 2007 many football players, managers and fans are homophobic - so much so that players are advised not to be open about their sexuality if they are gay. What a sad state for the 'beautiful game' .
sarah, Poole, Dorset
David Beckham was a footballer who always played on the edge with a short fuse so it is quite conceivable that he would make a remark of this nature. His response is obvious as he has friends who he needs to protect himself from by distancing himself from those quick and nasty comments.
I feel sorry for Le Saux as he was abused terribly from all sides especially over the Fowler incident and how the media lapped it up.
Stephen Williamson, Thurso, Caithness
Robert Thornton, your memory lets you down. Le Saux dropped Fwler with an elbow in that game, but was neither sent off nor punished afterwards. Fowler was hammered in the press and got a 2 game ban to add to the four game ban he got for "doing some lines" against everton.
fathughie, Dublin, Irl
what a strange article!
matty, frankfurt, germany
David Beckham - the guy who wears sarongs; wears diamond earings.; changes his hair-style every few minutes; has the vocabulary of an under-educated girl; sounds like a girl when he speaks; is a friend of Elton John ! And he (allegedly) has the audacity to call Le Saux a 'poof' ?
Am I missing something here ?
Jimmy, Nottingham, England
David Beckham's football education was at the feet of Sir Alex Ferguson - a blunt-spoken Glaswegian.
In Glaswegian, even Scottish football-speak, "poof" doesn't mean gay - it means "soft", as in that Tartan Army chant: "We hate Jimmy Hill, he's a poof".
Therefore Becks probably wasn't being homophobic
Matt Vallance, Ayrshire,
Bravo to Graeme Le Saux! It's about time athletes spoke frankly about their homophobic comments. Get it all above board. And now QUIT IT. It has no place in sports. Thank you Graeme.
Hephaestion, Washington, DC, USA
I read a recent interview with Beckham where he said "of course I was lying" when he was reminded about a quote in which he said that he was happy about going to play in Spain even though he hadn't won anything (this had been said in the middle of last season before Real Madrid won the league title).
Once you happily admit to lying for the sake of effect when can you be trusted to tell the truth? - I believe Graeme.
Marek, London,
Le Saux was not sent off in that match. He continued to make snide fouls on Fowler throughout the match; far more serious than insults he should be man enough to rise above.
Matthew Griffiths, Liverpool,
When I was player I relished name calling for the very reason I knew I was " getting to them". I have every sympathy with Grahams predicament but he should have spoken out more strongly at the time.. The Fowlers of this world are not universally popular as one is made to believe and it wouldnt have taken much to bring him down to size.
Jeffersonrex, Scunthorpe, UK
Well done, Graeme, what the football needs, is more people with an intellectual capacity. three years ago I hooked up on the satellite to be able to watch Man Utd TV. I´ve been a greaqt fn, still am, since I was a kid. I regrett tha. When I heard interviews with legends like Ryan Giggs, obviously with a brain the size of a pea, I gave it up. Why do fotballers have to behave like complete mindless jerks? What is wrong with NOT reading I stupid tabloid like most fotballers do? Well done, Graeme, go for it!
Peter Käck, Idre, Sweden
Michael I agree to you to an extent, but I think that the fact that one action was seen by millions and the other, a comment, only known (previously) to two people may have an impact of the seriousness of the actions.
simon , Valencia,
Robert from Adelaide please 1) get your facts right and 2) put things in their proper context.
1) Le Saux never got sent off but he should have. He elbowed Fowler pretty badly and Durkin missed it. Le Saux actually wrote a letter of apology the week after to Fowler for doing it
2) This happened in the context of the game. The bum pointing incident was not something out of the blue it was the next step in the winding up each other.
There is no rhyme nor reason for Le Saux feeling more hurt by bum pointing than being called a poof then he is a sad character. You would have hit Fowler for pointing at his arse? Very strange.
Neil, Cardiff,
Nice spin Team Becks but you're not very convincing. First of all to suggest that La Saux would lie to sell books is perhaps greater than the original offense.
Did you miss the fact that La Saux chose not to include the passage in his book. It would be an unusual gambit to attempt to sensationalize given that the event is not in the book.
The notion that the two have met many times since the incident and La Saux has never mentioned it before is proof of ...nothing.
How unlikely might it have been on their next meeting for La Saux to walk up to the England Captain and say; "You know David when you lashed out at me and called me a 'poof', that was very painful to me."
billyboy, toronto, canada
It is not surprising that we have so many foreign footballers dominating the Premiership. Many talented young British footballers like the actor Michael Sheen were put off becoming professionals by the way Le Saux was treated, That's why only a handful of footballers have degrees here and most can hardly utter a sentence without a 'Yer know'.
John Rennie, Beare Green, Surrey
Michael, you misunderstood the article seriously, try reading it slowly, maybe with an adult to help with the difficult words and concepts. Le Saux said it was more disappointing coming from Beckham because of his media personality, though Fowler's insult was obviously more graphic. It's a subtle point but important. Unfortunately, with people like you, Fowler and Beckham around football will have a tough time getting rid of the cancer of homophobia from its midst.
Ali C, Warsaw, Poland
Oh God bless America! The country is there to give a home to "all comers" Thank God they have given one to David and that awful wife of his. (Well we got Madonna -they can have the Beckhams.) Le Saux is an intelligent articulate man - more than can be said for David "ah -em" Beckham.
And what would we expect from a Beckham servant but to deny what the "great" man has done or said. Can we please forget this "has been" and leave him to the LA morons to do as they please with him?
Fiona Stacey, Suffolk, UK
Rubbish. He's selling his book. Strangely left that story out and came up with it seven years later just in time for the press party, never mentioned it to Beckham or anyone else before. Beckham rarely responds to press stories -- no statement on Sirs Charlton and Ferguson remarks that splashed across the headlines this week -- but released statement on this one because its an issue he cares about. Whatever else you can say, credit Beckham with being a voice against those kinds of slurs, along with racism and violence, in the football world. Le Saux should have used someone else's name to sell his book .
Bella, Chicago,
I hate this poxy PC world we now live in. Can smebody please publish a list of acceptable insults I can hurl at a nasty niggly pseudo intellectual little full back next time he elbows me in the head.
fathughie, Dublin, Irl
Poof!
Not for his sexuality (thats his own business) but for being weak.If he knows he's not gay, thats all that counts.
Rory, Loughton, essex
One should also remember that Fowler was punished for the incident (if I recollect correctly, he was given two matches for that incident, accompanied by a further four for the 'snorting the touchline' incident). Fowler also received the punishment of Le Saux's elbow in the back of his head. What Le Saux should remember is that part of the reason he was picked on is because he has a notoriously short temper, players could see the homophobic taunts got to him, and hoped to exploit this weakness; the same weakness which led to his international career not being what it should have been.
Mike, Leicester,
I was disappointed to hear Mark Lawrenson's casual homophobic humour be broadcast on BBC's lunchtime Football Focus a few week's ago.
It's one of the many diseases that are part of the soccer scene and enter the living room uninvited.
i applaud Graeme Le Saux for standing apart from the crowd as has David James.
Aidan, Dublin,
Although not a big fan of football, I generally believe most footballers are devoid of any discernable intelligence, with a few exceptions. I recall Le Saux giving articulate interviews and believed if more were like him, the second part of the adage "football is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans" to be less true.
James, London, UK
In my view, we are all people no matter, what colour, what race and what religion we follow.
Ken, Wollongong, Australia
You guys miss the point so obviously have no clue about being gay. Graeme was trying to point out that it is a extremely common thing in all cultures to accuse men of being fags, gay, poofs, queers...It is sad that it happens and even worse when you are on the receiving end of it.
Whether David, did, or did not, say he was a poof (although I think it's very likely. Davids public persona has always been very media friendly and PC. However his playing style, like many top athletes is overly agressive so it hardly seems impossible that a slip of the toungue happened.) isn't the point.
The point is that it isn't acceptable to call blacks niggers, it isn't appropriate to call jews kikes, so obviously calling people fags, queer, poof, isn't appropriate either...esp in any professional setting.
Rob, Mass, USA
Michael i think you missed the point. He was not shocked or surprised when being called these things by the majority of footballers. Anyone can see that the majority of footballers are a bit thick, not very elightened and still act like boys in primary school. Beckham however portrays himself as being open minded, has gay friends and doesnt mind wearing unisex clothing (cant imagine Julian Dicks wearing a sarong!). This is why it was more of a shock to hear it coming from him. If he can say it then it really is entrenched in the culture. The Robbie Fowler incident was different as this was PHYSICAL gestures which everyone in the ground or on TV is aware of immediately.
Ross, London, UK
Little sympathy for Le Saux. Despite his alleged culture- he was always the first to elbow and assault other players when his ability fell short.
RAJEEV SHETTY, Woking,
Harrasment of people that are "different" is very common in England. That Le Saux did rise above the taunts is very commendable. It is a shame that Graeme's tormentors got away with it and are even considered role models.
Imtiaz Dharssi, Exeter, Devon
In the history of the world, has there ever (and I mean ever !) existed a group of people such as English Premiership footballers so uneducated but with such vast wealth ?
In what other place in time would the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Kieron Dyer and Joey Barton be so rich ?
Adam, Eastcote, middx, uk
Two things: in the world of football - and everywhere else -
the modern concept 'gay' is confused with effeminacy. As George Gershwin wrote (although not on this subject), " 'taint necessarily so' ". Footballers pretend not to know this. But they know. They've all seen each others willies in the shower. I'm sure they know.
I feel more for the sense of rejection that young Mr. Fowler must feel - I saw him presenting his 'butt' on at least three occasions on a football field and, as far as I know, no one accepted his offer.
In the public lavatories frequented by USA senators this would count as serious rejection. Does not the young Robbie Fowler feel rejected? He has given us the most obscene gesture ever seen on a football field. I would like to think, for his sake, that he does not feel forlorn at his very public rejection.
Graham Le Saux was victimized for being intelligent. As he is not 'gay' he should simply shut up on that subject.
John Carty, Medellin, Colombia
Let's get this straight, this article is not about homophobia this is about Le Saux. Le Saux couldn't careless about homphobia in society, he is put out by the fact that not everybody liked him.
Get a grip Graeme, stop banging on about it and move on, its all a very long time ago. Yes, the the common lowest denominator in insult is one questions your sexuality. I just wonder how you would have coped if they had questioned your ball skills.
Michael West, Manchester, UK
I have some sympathy for Graeme Le Saux's treatment in the football arena but find it distasteful and dishonest in the extreme that he drop David Beckham's name into the mix whilst promoting his book. He would be naive in the extreme if he did not think that this, in itself, would be enough to push this interview, and his book, before the public eye - and if to drive home this allegation he throws in Beckham's friendship with Elton John. Le Saux has never before commented on this 'incident', he has never spoken to Beckham about it, despite as he has pointed out that they were England teammates and he had opportunity to do so, has not made the allegations in writing, yet he chooses now after many years to casually name Beckham and not the many who could fill "two pages" of a book in an interview. Extraordinary - and quite unbelievable. it would seem that the adage that everyone has their price has been shown to be true once again.
steve, sydney, australia
Given that Ribbie Fowlers actions were seen by millins on TV and nothing being done by either the referee on the day or authorituies afterwards, was highligyhted by the fact that Graeme Le Saux being sent off later in the same game for retaliating to the consistent harrassment and humiliation. I recollect at the time listening to the self-righteous opinions of the commentator stating that Le Saux should not have retaliated. I personaslly would have walked up to Fowler as h bent over and would have decked him one then walked straight off to see a solicitor and sue him for his malicious actions.
Robert Thornton, Adelaide, South Australia
Right, so David is allowed to call him a 'poof' because he wears a sarong and is friends with Elton, but Robbie is 'out of order' because he points at his backside. Which *might* perturb the sexual evolution of *potentially* gay teenage footie fans? Makes perfect sense. What if David had called him a 'twunt'? Isn't that potentially disparaging to female fans. My, the ramifications are quite endless. The point of insults is to hurt, it doesn't matter if the accusation is real or not, the point is to wind the opponent up. So the only wise thing that Graeme could have done, would be to rise above the taunts and let it be. Oh, well.
michael, warsaw,