Why can Ferran Torres not kiss men?
Thousands of people question the footballer's sexuality on social networks following displays of affection with one of his teammates
When the Spanish national team footballer Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the final against Argentina, his teammates did not hesitate to embrace him. Shouts in the air, raised fists, pats on the head, kisses on the forehead, and players jumping on top of each other. In the VIP area of the stands, the scene was not much different: Iker Casillas holding Xavi Hernández very close and caressing Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos high-fiving Iniesta and affectionately putting his arm around David Villa's back with Guti in the background shouting at the top of his lungs and with his face red with emotion. Men who appreciate each other celebrating that Spain wins a second star and supporting the new glories who have achieved it. Nothing anomalous.
However, the same displays of affection are another story when the protagonists are far from the fields. And this is demonstrated by the recent images of Ferran Torres and Marcos Llorente on a beach in Ibiza a few days after the World Cup, kissing each other on the cheek and hugging with smiles. For thousands of users who have republished and commented on the photos on networks like X or Instagram, Ferran Torres and Marcos Llorente are homosexual, and the images are irrefutable proof. It doesn't matter that both players have girlfriends with whom they present themselves in public or with whom they have children; according to the opinions of those who call both Llorente and Torres gay, the affection between these men can only be romantic.
These facts demonstrate, once again, how society reacts when top-tier football figures break through suffocating gender stereotypes. "Football is a sport with a lot of power in our society, and it is closely linked to a traditional, hegemonic, and heterosexual masculinity with very specific canons," explains Adriana Prexiguero, a researcher at the Afin Research Center of the Department of Anthropology at the UAB. "Anyone who breaks this image a little – painting their nails, carrying a bag, or showing affection in public – arouses suspicion of being gay because they are not considered man enough", she emphasizes.
Paradoxically, players' sexuality is not questioned on the field, as "affection between men is only socially accepted when it is justified," states the researcher. Thus, if someone like Torres, Mikel Merino, Pedro Porro, or Mikel Oyarzabal scores a goal, physical contact ceases to be a problem. "If this affection is shown on the beach, as in the case of the two players, it doesn't seem to be a sufficiently justified situation for them to show affection, because there is nothing to celebrate, and therefore, this is when all this uproar arises," she concludes.
Kisses Prohibited
The inability to show affection or open up emotionally is a common issue among heterosexual men. Prexigueiro points out that among this group, there is an abundance of "social surveillance of masculinity and heterosexuality," a fact that causes "the emotional bonds they can form to be limited if they cannot share their feelings or ask for affection" without being rejected. How can this affect mental health? For the researcher, it not only leads to "emotional and affective repression" that can trigger a feeling of isolation or loneliness, but this thought also "reinforces the social homophobia that is still present in both society and sports." "You will probably feel very alone, but because relationships will be limited, and bonds weaker and more superficial," she emphasizes.
However, this phenomenon also affects women. According to Prexigueiro, among them, displays of affection are accepted and normalized as part of their daily lives, but the same gender stereotypes that stifle men also make lesbian relationships invisible, where displays of affection between women are only interpreted as "things between friends." "We prefer to maintain this social idea that they are friends before accepting that they have a romantic or sexual relationship because it breaks with their idea of heterosexuality, where they can only have bonds with men and vice versa," she concludes.
