Australia’s first openly gay footballer, Josh Cavallo, criticised Iker Casillas for being “ beyond disrespectful ” and joking about coming out after a post on the former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper’s Twitter account on Sunday said he was gay.

Both posts were later deleted.

The World Cup-winning captain had said his account had been hacked and apologised to his followers and the LGBTQ community. But by then, the “I hope you respect me: I’m gay” post had created quite a buzz.

To add to it, former Barcelona defender Carles Puyol had responded: “The time has come to tell our story, Iker.”
Cavallo had taken to Twitter to criticise the duo, before Casillas’ clarification came.

Australian footballer Josh Cavallo. Getty Images

“@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing,” Cavallo, who became the first active A-League player to come out as gay last year, said on Twitter. “It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.”

The 22-year-old’s post was later seemed to have been deleted also.

Spanish media reports said Casillas initial post — it was live for more than an hour before it was deleted — couldhave been in response to the speculation about his private life following his separation from Sara Carbonero last year

Later, the 41-year-old tweeted in Spanish, which translated read: “Hacked account. Luckily everything in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.”

Puyol also tweeted, apologising for his “clumsy joke”: “I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place.

“I understand that it may have hurt sensitivities. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA + community.”

Written with inputs from Reuters