Abel Braga, head coach of Brazilian club Internacional, has apologised for making a homophobic remark about his team’s pink training vest.
Speaking during his unveiling on Sunday after returning to guide relegation-threatened Internacional for the eighth time, Braga, 73, recalled a conversation he had with club director Andres D’Alessandro and jokingly made and anti-gay comment about the “pink vests the team trains in.
Braga, who signed a contract with Internacional until the end of the 2025 Brazilian championship without remuneration — a condition requested by the coach himself, apologised hours later on Instagram and wrote: “Fans of Internacional, first of all, I acknowledge that I didn’t make a good statement about the color pink during my press conference.
“Before this spreads, I apologise. Colors don’t define genders. What defines is character. Internacional needs peace and a lot of hard work. Come on, Inter!”
Internacional are in the relegation zone, level on points with Santos, who are in the last position of safety with two games remaining.
The Porto Alegre-based club has been relegated only once in its 116-year history.
