35,000 Sign Petition Calling for Tyson Fury's Removal as a SPOTY Nominee

A petition calling for Tyson Fury's Sports Personality of the Year nomination to be revoked by the BBC has attracted over 35,000 signatures, reports the Evening Standard.

Fury won the world heavyweight boxing title on Nov. 28 when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf, Germany, and was named on the BBC's 12-strong shortlist for the annual award on Monday.

His nomination has been questioned after the Manchester-born boxer was accused of homophobia over comments made in an interview with the Daily Mail.

In the interview, he said: "There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the Devil comes home. One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other is paedophilia."

The petition, which was started by Scott Cuthbertson, states:

"

Homophobia has long been a barrier to the participation of LGBTI people in Sport. Young people need sports personalities that they can look up to not people who express outrageous homophobic views, which can cause bullying and self-harm. ...

The BBC clearly do not understand that by nominating Fury, who has on a number of occasions expressed homophobic views and compared homosexuality to paedophilia, they are putting him up as a role model to young people all over the UK and the world."

"

As of Thursday evening, the petition had received just under 36,500 signatures.

The Sports Personality of the Year will be named on Dec. 20 in Belfast.

[Evening Standard]