A Nigerian soccer official is claiming that lesbians are destroying the quality of his country's women's soccer team. Yes, you read that right.
"Lesbianism kills teams," Nigerian Football Federation vice-president Seyi Akinwunmi told sports reporters on Saturday, according to the Daily Mail. "People are afraid to talk about it. The coaches also take advantage of the girls, so there is much more to build in female football."
On the one hand it's a bizarre claim, given that the United States women won the World Cup last year with several out players, including Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach, and an out head coach in Pia Sundhage. The presence of lesbians certainly didn't hurt the reigning World Cup champions.
On the other hand, Nigeria is a rabidly anti-LGBT country with laws that imprison gay people for over a decade. The Nigerian women's soccer team has had years of success, winning nine of the 11 Africa women's championships, but the team has failed to qualify for the last two Olympic Games.
Either way, the presence of lesbians on the Nigeria women's soccer team isn't a problem unless these straight men make it a problem.
