The newly hired head of marketing for the Dinamo Minsk soccer club in Belarus was fired by the club after a homophobic social media campaign targeted him for being gay. “No fags on Dinamo Minsk” was among the slogans of those opposed to his hiring.
Valentin Sereda, a radio host in the former Soviet republic, was fired from the team for what it said were "his unprofessional actions that caused substantial damage to the image and reputation of the club." The team said it was only considering Sereda for the job but press reports said he had been hired. It did not specify what these unprofessional actions were. It seems that simply being gay was enough to get Sereda sacked though the team said homophobia did not play a role after coming under criticism.
Opponents of his hiring circulated screenshots captured from gay dating sites Sereda had joined. According to reports, his profile did not have any X-rated or shirtless pictures but that did not stop fans from saying the team had to adhere to "traditional values" and not hire a "fag."
Sereda said he was disappointed by the reaction and noted that one of the missions of the marketing director was to promote tolerance.
