Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has lost almost three million followers after deleting a tweet he posted which appeared to suggest he is gay.
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The Spaniard had 12.3 million followers on Sunday (October 9) morning, which dropped to 9.6 million later that day after his controversial tweet (via the Daily Star).
Casillas' deleted tweet read:
"I hope you respect me: I'm gay."
The Los Blancos shot-stopper later issued a statement claiming his account was hacked and apologized to the LGBTQ+ community for the incident. He subsequently deleted the initial tweet. The former Real Madrid star tweeted:
"Hacked account. Luckily everything was in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community."
Former Barcelona center-back Carles Puyol had responded to Casillas' initial tweet in a sarcastic and out-of-pocket manner.
The former Blaugrana defender tweeted:
"It's time to tell our story, Iker."
However, the retired Spanish defender's comments were not the result of a hacked account but were his own words. Puyol issued an apology to the LGBTQA+ community after deleting his tweet and took responsibility for the inappropriate reply.
Former Spain international admitted his joke was unbecoming and expressed his respect for the community. He tweeted:
"I have made a mistake. Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place. I understand that it may have hurt sensitivities. All my respect and support for the LGTBIQA+ community."
Real Madrid is currently second in the La Liga table behind rivals Barcelona. Los Blancos are set to face FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League at the Polish Army stadium on Tuesday (October 11).
Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas admonished for deleted tweet about coming out
The Real Madrid legend and Puyol have been heavily criticized by many for their unseemly actions on Twitter. Josh Cavallo, who plays in the highest tier of Australian football, expressed his disappointment with the Spanish duo and tweeted:
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"@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football are disappointing. It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl has to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful."
The former Real Madrid shot-stopper also received criticism from Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon. The Dutchman took to Twitter to reiterate the problems of social media and highlighted the need to solve them.