Josh Cavallo: Gay Atralian footballer says World Cup shouldn't be gog to Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal | CNN

Contents:

• JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY
• JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST OUT GAY A-LEAGUE ATRALIAN MEN’S PRO SOCCER PLAYER
• ATRALIAN PRO FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
• ANDY BRENNAN IS ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE SOCCER PLAYER
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• ‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE
• ATRALIAN SOCCER PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER ENGLAND SCE JT FASHANU: JAKE DANIELS LATT WORLD FOOTBALLER TO E OUT
• THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS
• ALAI UNED MIDFIELR JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST CURRENT A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE HE'S GAY
• ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO BE ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL PLAYER
• JOSH CAVALLO: FOOTBALLER OUT AS WORLD'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PLAYER TOP-FLIGHT OF GAME
• JOSH CAVALLO: ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY, SAYG: 'I'M TIRED OF THIS DOUBLE LIFE'
• GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT WORLD CUP QATAR

JOSH CAVALLO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROFSNAL MEN'S FOOTBALLERS TO E OUT AS GAY

Atralian footballer Josh Cavallo has e out as gay, beg one of the few profsnal men's soccer players the world to do so. Ashamed I would never be able to do what I love and be gay, hidg who I really am to pursue a dream I always wished for as a kid.

Male profsnal athlet e out as the first openly gay players currently participatg their rpective sports, cludg NHL hockey player Le Prokop and NFL fensive end Carl Nassib. Josh Cavallo has e out publicly as gay, the first active profsnal men’s soccer player Atralia’s A-League to be out.

JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST OUT GAY A-LEAGUE ATRALIAN MEN’S PRO SOCCER PLAYER

Atralian profsnal footballer Josh Cavallo announced on Wednday that he is gay a vio msage released by his A-League club Alai Uned. “Beg a gay closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelgs orr to f the mold of a profsnal footballer, ” Cavallo wrote. In 2014, former Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger me out as gay the year after he announced his retirement om football.

Amerin ternatnal Robbie Rogers announced he was gay when retirg om profsnal football Febary 2013, but subsequently returned to the sport wh MLS club LA Galaxy three months later and went on to w the MLS Cup.

ATRALIAN PRO FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

It has been almost a year sce Josh Cavallo announced he is gay, but even now he still stggl to prehend the far-reachg impact his announcement has had – pecially as he has begun to speak out on major issu, notably the Qatar World Cup. A year on, Cavallo remas the only openly gay top-flight male footballer the world – he plays for Alai Uned Atralia’s A League – but his cisn spired Jake Daniels, a forward for English send divisn club Blackpool, to e out May of this year. “It was jt the uncertaty, seeg that there was no active gay footballer that’s e out before and there was no plan wh , ” he rells.

Fashanu beme the first openly gay profsnal footballer after g out 1990 while playg the English top flight, but the backlash he suffered eventually led him to take his own life eight years later. Earlier this month, former Spa ternatnals Iker Casillas and Carl Puyol were wily cricized after the former posted a tweet claimg he was gay.

Cavallo says the exchange between Casillas and Puyol prov football still has “got a long way to go” to eradite homophobia, even if the sport has recently ma steps the right directn.

GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL

As the World Cup go on a untry where homosexualy is illegal, many global football fans are havg to reckon wh the sports' soccer remas one of the most popular sports around the world, very few players have been able to e out and enjoy a succsful reer afterwards. Gay players face prsure om teammat, ownership, ach, and fans over their are some of the men who have e out, fightg those stereotyp, and pavg the way for LGBTQ+ athlet who e after them. Rogers me out as gay 2013, beg the first out gay man to pete a top North Amerin pro sports league when he played for the LA Galaxy that same year.

But tak guts to e out and reveal one’s genr as gay, which is ually an act of urage a world that is not ndned to accept every genr. Even though has already been three s sce Jt Fashanu first publicly me out as gay, there are only a few of them revealg . The primary reason behd many gay footballers not revealg their sexualy publicly is fear of homophobia on and off the pch.

So, many profsnal leagu, teams, and players are raisg their voic to fight back agast homophobia so that gay footballers don’t face backlash while g out.

ANDY BRENNAN IS ATRALIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE SOCCER PLAYER

In 2020, durg the San Diego Loyal match agast Phoneix Risg FC, Mart released a story of homophobic sults directed toward him. One of the hight-profile male football players publicly clarg himself as gay is German footballer Thomas Hzlsperger. Likewise, he also participated the 7th edn of the realy TV show Lets Dance and beme the first-ever gay to w the ntt.

Likewise, The Jt Fashanu All-stars football special event started Brighton to honor him and promote homosexualy football.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

Furthermore, he is one of the send Brish football players to publicly e out as gay after Jt Fashanu did 30 years ago. Therefore, a suable environment should be created through tn as a drivg factor, so gay footballers don’t feel prsured to reveal their sexualy.

Josh Cavallo, who last year beme the only openly gay profsnal top flight men’s footballer the world, says he has “no words” to scribe his disappotment at beg targeted by homophobic abe durg an A-League Men game over the Alai Uned player me on as a send-half substute durg the Reds’ away game at Melbourne Victory on Saturday night and said afterwards that he had received abe om the crowd at AAMI 22-year-old received acclaim om across the globe October when he me out via Alai’s social media channels.

“I’m not gog to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abe at the game last night, ” Cavallo wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

‘NO WORDS’: GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO LLS OUT HOMOPHOBIC CROWD ABE

”Cavallo also said he was targeted after the game on Instagram and ed his own post to ll out the social media platform for the way als wh homophobic abe.

“There’s somethg personal that I need to share wh everyone: I’m a footballer, and I am gay, ” Cavallo said a vio published Wednday by Alai Uned, his A-League 21-year-old Cavallo said he’s the first player to e out while still playg Atralia’s top-flight men’s soccer petn. Brendon Thorne / APA talented player who reprented Atralia at junr level, Cavallo thought people would thk of him differently and treat him differently if he told them he was gay. “I am glad to see Football Atralia has publicly supported Cavallo, but now needs to fulfil the public mments ma 2014 to ‘eradite’ homophobia om the sport wh meangful actn.

ATRALIAN SOCCER PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

”Cavallo nclud the vio, rerd the safe surroundgs of Alai home, by repeatg his msage: “I’m Josh Cavallo, I’m a footballer, and I’m proud to be gay.

A-League Men midfielr Josh Cavallo says he knows there are other players “livg silence” after beg the only known current male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay.

Labor senate lear and openly gay woman, Penny Wong, tweeted: “Any young person who is stgglg wh their inty, or feelg exclud or judged, n look today to Josh Cavallo.

‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY

Amerin former Leeds player Robbie Rogers also announced he was gay on retirg 2013, before returng to the field wh LA Galaxy and wng the MLS Cup to bee the first openly gay male athlete to w a major profsnal team sports tle the Uned 2019, former Newstle Jets player Andy Brennan beme Atralia’s first profsnal male footballer to e out while still playg the game.

“It is astonishg to know that there are currently no gay profsnal footballers who are out and actively playg, not only Atralia, but around the world. Blackpool FC star Jake Daniels has taken the spiratnal step of beg the first male English profsnal footballer to publicly e out as gay over two s.

His terview as part of a posive move towards addrsg fears over negativy and abe followg Alai Uned star Josh Cavallo breakg down barriers as the only gay currently active profsnal player 2021.

FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER ENGLAND SCE JT FASHANU: JAKE DANIELS LATT WORLD FOOTBALLER TO E OUT

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher discs Blackpool's Jake Daniels g out as gay - the first UK profsnal footballer to do so publicly sce 1990. SportAFLLGBTQThis was published 1 year agoOpnIn one key rpect, the AFL is lookg creasgly out of touch wh our broar society: the glarg lack of anybody the male playg group who is out and openly gay when, most other spher of life, people now feel fortable and safe to e wh sensible morn rporatns, the AFL’s executiv and key figur are well versed the phraseology of diversy and clivy. The AFLW petn clus many LGBTQ players, a fact that go virtually unremarked upon, and clubs Sydney and St Kilda play an annual pri Cavallo of the Alai Uned A-League men’s Getty ImagOf urse a person’s sexualy is their own bs and nobody would wish that someone felt prsured to e out as gay.

No doubt much of the attentn would be posive, but there would probably also be a luge of hate – across the fence, on talkback rad, perhaps om others on the field, and particularly the cspools of social A-League player Josh Cavallo beme the first active top-flight male profsnal soccer player the world to e out as gay, he received enormo support om some quarters, cludg landg a lucrative sponsorship.

It will not be enough for the petn to say is none of s bs, or, worse, to rely on a particular player orr to market self as an “clive” Denison, a behavural science rearcher at Monash Universy’s School of Social Scienc, wrote The Age last year that “the visibily of [gay] male AFL players is a symptom of a ser problem that has long been ignored by the AFL and other erng bodi”, which is that people actually fear g out, fear beg themselv.

THE AFL’S GROWG PROBLEM WH VISIBILY OF GAY PLAYERS

His own rearch suggted the AFL had done “ls on the issue of homophobia than any other major sport Atralia, or globally” ti may slowly be turng.

Fox Footy sacked reporter Tom Morris over sexist and homophobic remarks he ma about a female lleague as well as separate racist slurs. As Greg Bm and Sam McClure wrote on Monday of the Morris tap, “The laddish tone and homophobic language ed the rerdgs also raised the qutn: how tolerant is the AFL dtry, really, of LGBTQI people? While footballers, umpir, ach and club staff who are gay feel forced to ny a part of themselv and are unable to live their liv fully the open, the game suffers, and so do the broar is such a large part of our social and cultural liv, and so many boys want to be a part of that has a duty to try to support people of all sexuali.

Alai Uned's Josh Cavallo has publicly announced he is gay, beg the first footballer to open up about their sexualy while playg the A-League Men pots:Josh Cavallo says he "uldn't be happier" wh his cisn to publicly announce that he is gayHis club has stood wh Cavallo, wh ach Carl Veart sayg he has "nothg but admiratn and support" for his player In 2019, former Newstle player Andy Brennan me out about his sexualyThe midfielr has played 19 gam for the Reds sce makg the move to Alai om Wtern A-League club said stood alongsi Cavallo for beg te to himself, and would ntue to love and support him as a member of s diverse fay. The 21-year-old released an emotnal vio on Wednday (Pictur: Instagram / Twter)Alai Uned footballer Josh Cavallo has bee the only openly gay male profsnal player the world and hop his cisn to e out will spire others to do the same. Unfortunately, beg gay is still nsired somethg of a taboo wh football, though Cavallo says he was tired of ‘livg a double life’ and hop to enurage others to follow his lead.

ALAI UNED MIDFIELR JOSH CAVALLO BE FIRST CURRENT A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE HE'S GAY

Cavallo has reprented Atralia at Unr-17 level (Picture: Getty)‘As a gay footballer, I know there are other players livg silence. Cavallo was undated wh msag of support and praise on social media followg his statement, wh the Atralian FA wrg: ‘Football Atralia wish to mend Josh’s bravery to e out as the only openly gay player the A-League men petn. A footballer om Atralia has e out as gay, makg him the world's only openly gay male player the top-flight of the Cavallo ma the announcement a seri of posts on Twter earlier on a vio, the Alai Uned player said: "I'm a footballer, and I'm gay.

ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO BE ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL PLAYER

Ashamed I'd never be able to do what I love and be gay", he 21-year-old, om Melbourne add: "All I want to do is play football, and be treated equally. "The footballer, who plays as both a left back and central midfielr, said had been a stggle to get to this pot, and that he had been battlg his sexualy but was "proud" to make the said he hop will enurage more gay footballers to e out and create a culture change the sport.

JOSH CAVALLO: FOOTBALLER OUT AS WORLD'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PLAYER TOP-FLIGHT OF GAME

South Atralia Senator Penny Wong thanked Cavallo for his is still unmon for male footballers to e out as gay while they are still Hzlsperger, who played for Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton, waed until he retired before g out Mart, an openly gay male profsnal footballer who plays the US's equivalent of the send divisn, ngratulated Josh Cavallo on social media.

The world’s only openly gay top‑flight men’s footballer says he would be “sred” to play at the World Cup tournament Qatar next year bee of the emirate’s harsh ban on homosexualy and legal penalti rangg om floggg to lengthy prison terms and Cavallo, 21, who plays for Alai Uned Atralia’s A-League, received a wave of support om football fans and current and former players last month after openg up about his sexualy a vio posted to the club’s social media feeds. ”The announcement ma Cavallo the only out gay player men’s profsnal football, his isolatn stark a sport whose admistrators have lnched high-profile public mpaigns recent years embracg LGBT fans and only a handful of male players have ever e out, ntrast to the women’s game, which has easily blown past the same barrier: more than 40 lbian or bisexual players took part the 2019 women’s World Cup France, acrdg to Fifa.

JOSH CAVALLO: ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY, SAYG: 'I'M TIRED OF THIS DOUBLE LIFE'

Crics have raised the fact that Fifa ntu to award World Cups to untri such as Rsia – where homophobia has been lled a “state‑sponsored” project – and Qatar, where same-sex acts are illegal, as evince of the erng body’s patchy mment to if holdg the tournament a untry wh strict penalti for homosexualy sent the wrong msage to gay footballers and fans, Cavallo, who has played for Atralia’s unr-20s ternatnal si, told the Guardian’s daily news podst that he would be aaid for his safety if asked to participate the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

'I'm a footballer and I'm gay': A-League player Josh Cavallo talks about his sexualy – vio“I read somethg along the l of that [they] give the ath penalty for gay people Qatar, so ’s somethg I’m very sred [of] and wouldn’t really want to go to Qatar for that, ” he said. At the end of the day the World Cup is Qatar and one of the greatt achievements as a profsnal footballer is to play for your untry, and to know that this is a untry that don’t support gay people and puts at risk of our own life, that do sre me and mak me re-evaluate – is my life more important than dog somethg really good my reer? Mlims the untry n be subject to Sharia law that bans any sexual activy outsi marriage wh punishments rangg up to the ath penalty, meang homosexual acts n technilly rult executn, though several human rights reports have said there is no evince any gay people have been executed for the offence.

”Along wh the appallg ndns for migrant workers buildg the astcture for the tournament, the prospect of gay fans or players beg arrted Qatar has dogged Fifa sce the emirate was announced as host of the tournament 2010.

GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT WORLD CUP QATAR

The anisatn’s then print, Sepp Blatter, fuelled the ntroversy the same year when he was asked if he had any advice for gay people who wanted to travel to the Gulf state for the petn.

But they walk a fe le between acmodatg what are now mastream attus towards gay people much of the world and the untry’s own nservative relig the tournament has approached, Qatari officials have sought to reassure LGBT fans that they will be wele the untry and n exprs themselv – wh lims. ”Prsed at the time over how Qataris would react to a gay uple holdg hands, Khater said they would be treated the same as a heterosexual uple.