Abel Braga, 73-year-old Brazilian coach, current coach at Inter de Porto Alegre, or simply Inter, has issued an apology after an homophobic comment in his first press conference, hours after being appointed. While recounting a conversation with the sporting director of the club, Braga said: "I said, 'I don't want my freaking team training in pink shirts, it looks like a team of faggots.'"
He was later asked about his comment in the press conference, and he claimed he said it in a "light-hearted tone" to motivate his players: "I want the guys to be strong". He insisted in his justification when he posted an apology on Instagram hours later: "First of all, I admit I made a mistake regarding the colour pink during my presentation. Before this escalates, I apologize. Colours don't define gender. What defines gender is character. Internacional needs composure and hard work. Come on Inter!"
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Braga joined Inter de Porto Alegre in a very delicate moment, fourth at the bottom of the league, forced to win their two upcoming matches to avoid relegation. This is why Braga feels is so important to "build character" and motivate his players... even if his choice of words, during the press conference and even in the apology, implying that "character" also defines gender, were very unfortunate...
As a manager, Braga has worked in dozens of clubs since 1985, including some of the biggest in Brazil. He previously led Internacional to a Libertadores and Club World Cup in 2006, and has worked for Marseille and Al Jazira.