European football's governing body on Friday said it had fined Italy forward Antonio Cassano forr homophobic comments he made during a news conference at Euro 2012. UEFA said in a statement on its website that it had fined the striker 15,000 euros ($18,400, £11,700) fine for a "discriminatory press statement" during the tournament, without referring to the words he used.
Cassano caused outrage among gay rights campaigners after a news conference on June 12 during which he used a derogatory word to describe homosexuals and said that he hoped there were no gay players in the Italian national team. Homosexuality in sport and particularly football is a sensitive issue.