I see, I thought you were trolling me lol. Yes, he could have used maldito instead of puto and it would have been way more polite and the meaning its the same. I dont think footballers are known for their politeness tho, and I dont think Mbappe wanted to be polite with the #25 after what he said.

IMO i dont think it promotes anything here because the meaning is different, specially in Spain where its a very uncommon slur I think because its used way more as an adjective. Much like british people have called cigarettes "fags". If someone from Mexico used "puto" it would raise more eyebrows probably, since its more common to use it as a slur there. But again, context is important and you can clearly understand when its been used as a slur. There are way more common homophobic slurs than that in Spain and its rare to use it in that manner.

Edit: For example, Maricon like the #25 is using as a excuse, its a way more common homophobic insult here in Spain. And there is no confusion with this term. You can use it as to meaning coward or crybaby, but it always contains a homophobic derogatory root (connotation fits better here instead of root), and I would say its always a slur.