The trainer told Magyar Nemzet that he did not see the Hungarian goalkeeper’s motivation to participate in the “family is family” LGBTQ campaign.

According to him, many Hungarian football fans criticised Gulácsi for this action because they disagree with his point of view. For this reason,  in place of Gulácsi, he would have rather concentrated on football than taking a side in a controversial social issue and provoking tensions.

In the interview, he also said that, if liberal public actors have the right to express their opinion on controversial social issues, the conservatives also want to make their voice be heard.

The day after the appearance of the interview, the goalkeeping coach was fired. The team justified the decision with the following statement:

“Hertha BSC is separating from its goalkeeping coach Zsolt Petry. The Bundesliga team is reacting to the controversial interview of the Hungarian.”

Hertha chairman Carsten Schmidt said in a statement on Tuesday that Petry’s work was valued at the club and that he had never expressed homophobic or xenophobic comments before, but his statements to Magyar Nemzet ran against the club’s values.

Sources: Ungarn Heute, Magyar Nemzet, Newsobserver.com

Photo: Origo.hu