Gay bashing in sport present but never reported

Though homophobic slurs and taunts might occur in Barbados during the course of some sporting activity, at least one senior administrator says he is unaware of any official complaint of such behaviour ever being made.

Veteran sports administrator Adrian Ockie Donovan made the disclosure in the wake of Reggae Boyz international striker Junior Flemmings being banned this week for six games for allegedly using homophobic slurs towards San Diego Loyal’s openly gay footballer Collin Martin during a United States League (USL) Championship match on September 30.

The Jamaican plays for the Phoenix Rising Club and ironically today won the Golden Boot award for the 2020 season. The 24-year-old Jamaican scored 14 goals in 14 matches for Phoenix Rising for which he signed in 2019. He has scored 29 goals in 43 appearances.

Commenting on the development, Donovan said though such situations in Barbadian sport had not reached to the stage of Flemmings’ case, especially in football, that did not mean that situations similar to the Jamaican’s case where slurs are used by players against each other didn’t occur in Barbados.

“Locally we have not experienced that as far as a player complaining to the national association. But we know for a fact during games and especially when games become heated that comments would be made one way or another. So, it happens sometimes but we have never heard of any player making an official complaint to the national association. This is not heard at all in Barbados,” Donovan said.

He also noted that the administrative suspension of the Jamaican footballer should be a cause for concern for all regional football players. In addition, Donovan explained that he hoped the Jamaican footballer would be given a fair hearing considering that the referee claimed not to hear any slurs from the mouth of Flemmings but amazingly all 11 members of the opposing team allegedly heard him.

“The case may look from the front as a clear-cut one but we are talking about a black Caribbean player playing in a foreign league where they may not be many other players of his colour. Not only in his team but the entire league,” he explained.

Sharing his personal experience of playing professional football years ago in the United States of America, Donovan said that his college team encountered racist abuse when they played an opponent in Washington.

He said: “After the game, we literally had to run for our lives. So, I know quite well the ramifications and the implications of such incidents. However, when a player signs on to be a professional representative of a team, he has to abide by the rules and regulations that are in his contract. And the contracts nowadays include punishment for anybody found in breach of racist remarks or actions and homophobic behaviour or even talking to the press.”

Donovan added: “Mr Flemmings’ legal defence would have to go through his contract first and foremost. Then his strong point would be that the man who has jurisdiction over the game which is the referee did not hear a single word.”

The noted administrator also zoomed in on the fact that in some of the professional leagues around the world, players have been suspended or kicked out of their respective clubs for going on social media and criticising their opponents.

“These players have agents and I would hope they would be well briefed on what they should and shouldn’t do. The six-game ban is quite harsh, it means he might miss the entire playoff round and as a consequence, if found guilty he could literally be blackballed whereby no other team in that league would want to sign him. So, this is a case that all of us on this side of the world should pay close attention to as we wait to see the outcome. And there will be repercussions one way or another,” Donovan said.

In addition to the six-games suspension, Flemmings has been placed on administrative leave for the remainder of his contract term with the team, which concludes on November 30, 2020.