Swiss soccer league fines player for using ''gay'' as insult

A soccer player judged to have used the word "gay" as an insult in a post-game interview was fined 2,000 Swiss francs ($2,070) by the Swiss Football League on Tuesday.

The league said its tribunal declined to suspend Lucerne goalkeeper Marius Müller and judged that his words had been thoughtless but not homophobic.

Müller, a 29-year-old German, criticized the play of his teammates in a television interview after a 4-1 loss against St. Gallen on Aug. 13.

He and his club later apologized on social media and the league opened a disciplinary case.

Müller's statement had not targeted a player, referee or spectator at the stadium, the league said, "but rather expressed frustration" at his teammates' inadequate defensive work.

Lucerne said Tuesday it accepted the verdict.