Robbie Rogers: why g out as gay meant I had to leave football | Football | The Guardian

Contents:

• ROBBIE ROGERS: WHY G OUT AS GAY MEANT I HAD TO LEAVE FOOTBALL
• GAY SOCCER STAR ROBBIE ROGERS: LIVG CLOSET 'CREAT THIS MONSTER SI YOU'
• USA WGER ROBBIE ROGERS OUT AS GAY AND 'STEPS AWAY' OM SOCCER
• TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED
• ROBBIE ROGERS TAK FIELD AS 1ST OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER U.S. PRO SPORTS MATCH
• ROBBIE ROGERS: FANS' ATTUS STOP GAY PLAYERS G OUT
• ROBBIE ROGERS EARLY LIFE\NROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS III WAS BORN ON MAY 12, 1987, RANCHO PALOS VERS, CALIFORNIA, U.S. HE WAS BORN TO ROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS II(FATHER) AND THERA ROGERS(MOTHER). ROGER STARTED PLAYG FOOTBALL AT THE AGE OF FOUR AND A HALF.\NAT THE AGE OF SEVEN, ROGERS PLAYED FOOTBALL BOTH THE COAST SOCCER LEAGUE AND SEVERAL HISPANIC LEAGU. ROGERS MA THREE APPEARANC AT THE USL PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE’S FOR ORANGE COUNTY BLUE STAR 2005 AND CID TO ATTEND UNIVERSY THE FALL. \NHE PLAYED ONE SEASON OF LLEGE SOCCER AT THE UNIVERSY OF MARYLAND, ALONGSI JASON GAREY AND HELPED THE TEAM TO W THE 2005 NCAA CHAMPNSHIP. HE SRED SEVEN TIM DURG THE SEASON AT UMD AND ASSISTED FIVE GOALS, EVENTUALLY NAMED ACC ALL-CONFERENCE FRHMAN TEAM AND  SOCCER TEAM OF THE YEAR.\NIN THE SUMMER OF 2006, HEERENVEEN VED  ROGERS TO THE CLUB FOR A THREE- WEEK TRIAL AND THE TRIAL PERD WAS SUCCSFUL, SIGNG TWO YEARS PROFSNAL NTRACT WH DUTCH SI AUGT 2006. ON FEBARY 2007,  HE LEFT HEERENVEEN BY MUTUAL NSENT.\NROBBIE ROGERS CAREER\NAFTER HIS RELEASE, ROGERS RETURNED TO THE USA AND WAS LATER SIGNED BY THE MLS SI COLUMB CREW BEFORE THE 2007 MLS SEASON. ROGERS SRED HIS FIRST GOAL ON JUNE 17, 2007, SRG AN OPENG GOAL THE 3-3 DRAW AGA THE TEAM NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTN. ROGERS SRED 3 TIM HIS TEN APPEARANC FOR THE CLUB HIS FIRST SEASON AND ALSO HELPED HIS TEAM WH ONE ASSIST.\NTHE 2008 SEASON WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH SEASON FOR ROGERS AS A PROFSNAL. HE STARTED THE MPAIGN REGULARLY FOR CREW, SRG HIS FIRST GOAL 4- 3 HOME W OVER CD CHIVAS USA ON 13 APRIL 2008. HE WAS AWARD BY THE MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR GAME WEEK SEVEN.\N CAPTION: ROBBIE ROGERS PLAYG FOR LA GALAXY SOURCE: OUTSPORTS \NREAD: PRENT RELATNSHIP STAT OF BOB HARPER AND HIS GAY BOYIEND ANTON GUTIERREZ\NROGERS PLAYED ALL FOUR MLS CUP GAM WH THE CREW, CLUDG THE FAL, WHERE THEY FEATED NEW YORK RED BULLS 3–1 NOVEMBER 2008 AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER.\NTHE SEASON WAS SUCCSFUL FOR ROGERS, AS HE WAS NAMED THE MLS BT XI TEAM FOR THE YEAR, AND ALSO PICKED UP SUPPORTERS ' SHIELD AND SILVERWARE FOR THE MLS CUP.\NON 2009, ROGER GOT HIS SEND SUPPORTERS' SHIELD TLE AFTER HIS TEAM FISHED THE FIRST POSN THE OVERALL STANDG, FISHG ONE POT AHEAD OF LOS ANGEL GALAXY.\NHIS LAST MATCH FOR THE CLUB WAS A 1- 0 LOSS WH COLORADO RAPIDS THE WILDRD GAME OF THE MLS CUP ON 28 OCTOBER 2011. HE LED THE TEAM WH ASSISTS DURG HIS LAST SEASON WH THE CLUB AND WAS ALSO AWARD THE \" CREW HARST WORKG PLAYER\" AWARD.\NHE MA 138 APPEARANC DURG HIS FIVE SEASONS ON THE CREW AND SRED 17 TIM. AFTER LEAVG COLUMB CREW, ROGERS WAS STRONGLY LKED TO A MOVE TO THE LEEDS UNED CHAMPNSHIP SI. HE SUBSEQUENTLY JOED LEEDS DECEMBER 2011 FOR AN IAL TWO- WEEK TRIAL PERD BEFORE SIGNG A NTRACT JANUARY 2012.\NHE MA HIS BUT ON 18 FEBARY 2012 AND ME AS A 79TH-MUTE SUBSTUTE FOR DONSTER ROVERS A 3- 2 W. HIS 2011-2012 CHAMPNSHIP SEASON WAS ED BY THE JURI, SUFFERG OM HEAD JURY DURG THE MATCH AGAST DONSTER ROVERS AND ALSO SUFFERED OM ANKLE JURY SOON AFTER REVERG OM HEAD JURY.  LATER ON AUGT 23, ROGER JOED LEAGUE ONE SI STEVENAGE ON LOAN AL UNTIL JANUARY 2013.\NROGER MA HIS BUT FOR THE CLUB AFTER TWO DAYS OF SIGNG, G AS A SUBSTUTE THE CLUBS 1-0 AWAY VICTORY. LATER, HE RETURNED TO LEEDS UNED ON JANUARY 15, 2013.\NWHEN HE RETURNED TO LEEDS, ROGERS LEFT THE CLUB WH MUTUAL NSENT AND WAS AVAILABLE FOR EE TRANSFER. HE MA ONLY FOUR APPEARANC, THREE OF WHICH WERE A SUBSTUTE DURG HIS TIME AT THE CLUB.\NROBBIE ROGERS SALARY AND NET WORTH
• U.S. SOCCER STAR ‘ OUT’ AS GAY
• ROBBIE ROGERS: THE AFTERMATH OF A GAY FOOTBALLER G OUT
• U.S. SOCCER PLAYER OPENS UP ABOUT BEG GAY
• MILTONE FOR GAY ATHLET AS ROGERS PLAYS FOR GALAXY
• ROBBIE ROGERS IS GAY PRO SOCCER PLAYER
• IN SEARCH OF A GAY SOCCER HERO: THE SECRET FOOTBALLER ON HOMOPHOBIA

ROBBIE ROGERS: WHY G OUT AS GAY MEANT I HAD TO LEAVE FOOTBALL

He left Leeds "by mutual nsent" three months then beme only the send gay footballer Bra to e out public. Rogers will bee a symbol and a spokman but 's important to remember that, more than jt a pneerg gay footballer, he is a 25-year-old man who stepped out of the shadows of his secret history. Photograph: Jamie Sab/Getty ImagIn England, Rogers beme acutely aware of the impossibily of beg a publicly-out gay footballer.

"Yet there is also somethg diseased at the heart of profsnal football – epomised by s attu towards homosexualy. "It would be credibly powerful if a gay footballer uld face down that hate and abe – jt as black sportsmen like Jackie Robson and Muhammad Ali stood up to racism Ameri.

A secretly gay person might feel unable to s wh their fay and watch him on a televisn chat show – but they n choose to hear his story private on their laptops or future, for Rogers, appears trigugly open-end. LA Galaxy soccer star Robbie Rogers changed the face of sports 2013 when he beme the first openly gay athlete the five major North Amerin sports leagu.

GAY SOCCER STAR ROBBIE ROGERS: LIVG CLOSET 'CREAT THIS MONSTER SI YOU'

In his new book, "Comg Out to Play, " he scrib the pa of livg the closet — and an terview airg on TODAY Tuday, he told special rrponnt Maria Shriver what he thks needs to change sports so that every athlete, gay or straight, feels part of the ' good looks and quick feet ma him a fan favore, but the culture of sports left him feelg isolated and ashamed as he secretly stggled wh beg gay.

Speakg to young gay men and women, "I realized jt by playg aga on a soccer field, there's a symbol right there that n enurage and give people hope, " he told 2013, Rogers signed wh the LA Galaxy, beg the first openly gay male athlete major league sports. "He's a soccer player first and foremost, who happens to be gay, " agreed Galaxy goalie Brian jt signed a new ntract wh the Galaxy, who are now petg the MLS playoffs. "For more support and rourc for LGBT youth and their fai, go to:PFLAGGLSEN (Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network)It Gets Better Project#ProudToPlay.

The former Columb Crew and USA wger Robbie Rogers has announced that he is gay, and that he has cid to "step away" om his reer as a profsnal a statement published on his personal blog unr the tle The Next Chapter, the 25-year-old wrote: "Thgs are never what they seem… My whole life I have felt different, different om my peers, even different om my fay. "David Tto, a former Columb Crew, Vanuver Wheps and Montreal Impact midfielr, me out as gay November 2011, shortly after beg released by Montreal.

USA WGER ROBBIE ROGERS OUT AS GAY AND 'STEPS AWAY' OM SOCCER

"Alex AvilaAnd Gay Tim, a Brish LGBTQ news se, celebrated Friday, the day of the film’s official release, as “Barbie day“ and lled the world-renowned doll a “queer cultural phenomenon.

TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED

PicturIn an terview wh Fandango, actor Kate McKnon, who is openly gay and plays “Weird Barbie” the film, said Barbie is about “imagatn. Many also flagged the teased scene which Barbie, now the real world, exchang a longg look wh Ameri Ferrera’s Gloria character; though, the relatnship between the two turns out to be a tribute to motherhood and the tradnal, nuclear before the film’s release, Robbie all but squashed the mors that some or any of the Barbi and Kens would be gay, tellg the Brish LGBTQ magaze Attu: The dolls don’t “actually have sexual orientatns.

There are brief appearanc by Earrg Magic Ken and Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken, both of which Mattel has always nied were tentnally gay-d. ”As far as the queer-d trailers and promotnal clips for the new “Barbie” film, Rand poted to a phenomenon known as “gay wdow advertisg, ” or the practice of advertisers gturg to queer dienc a way that will go over the heads of those who would disapprove. Robbie Rogers beme the first openly gay male athlete to play a pro Amerin sportg match Sunday when he took the field for Major League Soccer’s Los Angel Galaxy durg a rout of the Seattle Sounrs.

ROBBIE ROGERS TAK FIELD AS 1ST OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYER U.S. PRO SPORTS MATCH

Before the game, Los Angel native Jason Colls, a pro basketball player who announced last month that he was gay, tweeted Rogers to say good luck.

Rogers was troduced as the newt member of the Los Angel Galaxy on Saturday, makg him the first openly gay male athlete Major League Soccer and endg his brief retirement. Twelve-year NBA veteran Colls announced he was gay, but he has not played a game sce he ma the announcement. Fashanu's announcement ntributed to his personal and profsnal mise, such was the homophobia he was not a path Rogers, revealg his sexualy on his webse 23 years later, wanted to go promptly qu the game, sayg remag football after publicly clarg your homosexualy was "impossible", before reversg his cisn and jog Galaxy three months, 26, adms he was not prepared to bee a role mol - he wanted to ncentrate on football and not have to al wh the abe he nsired would be is that abe that he, like Keane, who played for numero big clubs England and Stland before movg to Ameri, believ is preventg others om g out.

"But he do not believe the abe stems om anti-gay sentiment: "For whatever reason, I don't thk fans England or fans the UK are homophobic at all. "Rogers left Leeds January after he was released by mutual he believ if he had spoken out about his homosexualy durg his time at Elland Road, the club's fans would have accepted him.

ROBBIE ROGERS: FANS' ATTUS STOP GAY PLAYERS G OUT

"I am the first gay footballer that's been out wh LA Galaxy and for me to be dog the daily thgs like gog to the trag ground and travellg, that's where tn and people realise 's not a big al.

"Earlier this year, Mister for Sport Hugh Robertson backed lls for profsnal football clubs to do more to bat Rogers, who ma ne appearanc for Stevenage while on loan om Leeds last season, says that first step of havg an openly gay player the Premier League would help tackle homophobia football. Rogers me out as a gay Febary 2013 and beme the send Gay football player the UK after Jt Fashanu 1990. On 26 May 2013, when he played his first match for the LA Galaxy, he beme the first openly gay man to pete a North Amerin profsnal sports league.

Sudnly, he felt nnected to a USA ternatnal a way that went much eper than the standard relatnship between fans and star athlet on social Republic ternatnal Jakub Jankto announc he is gayBlackpool forward Jake Daniels out as gayAlai Uned's Josh Cavallo be first top-flight profsnal to e out as gay"I'd watched Robbie play at the Olympics, I'd seen him wh Columb Crew before he'd left to play for Leeds, so I already knew a lot about him, " rells Molleda. "I uldn't believe that not only was there a gay soccer player, but here he was sharg his tth wh the world.

ROBBIE ROGERS EARLY LIFE\NROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS III WAS BORN ON MAY 12, 1987, RANCHO PALOS VERS, CALIFORNIA, U.S. HE WAS BORN TO ROBERT HAMPTON ROGERS II(FATHER) AND THERA ROGERS(MOTHER). ROGER STARTED PLAYG FOOTBALL AT THE AGE OF FOUR AND A HALF.\NAT THE AGE OF SEVEN, ROGERS PLAYED FOOTBALL BOTH THE COAST SOCCER LEAGUE AND SEVERAL HISPANIC LEAGU. ROGERS MA THREE APPEARANC AT THE USL PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE’S FOR ORANGE COUNTY BLUE STAR 2005 AND CID TO ATTEND UNIVERSY THE FALL. \NHE PLAYED ONE SEASON OF LLEGE SOCCER AT THE UNIVERSY OF MARYLAND, ALONGSI JASON GAREY AND HELPED THE TEAM TO W THE 2005 NCAA CHAMPNSHIP. HE SRED SEVEN TIM DURG THE SEASON AT UMD AND ASSISTED FIVE GOALS, EVENTUALLY NAMED ACC ALL-CONFERENCE FRHMAN TEAM AND  SOCCER TEAM OF THE YEAR.\NIN THE SUMMER OF 2006, HEERENVEEN VED  ROGERS TO THE CLUB FOR A THREE- WEEK TRIAL AND THE TRIAL PERD WAS SUCCSFUL, SIGNG TWO YEARS PROFSNAL NTRACT WH DUTCH SI AUGT 2006. ON FEBARY 2007,  HE LEFT HEERENVEEN BY MUTUAL NSENT.\NROBBIE ROGERS CAREER\NAFTER HIS RELEASE, ROGERS RETURNED TO THE USA AND WAS LATER SIGNED BY THE MLS SI COLUMB CREW BEFORE THE 2007 MLS SEASON. ROGERS SRED HIS FIRST GOAL ON JUNE 17, 2007, SRG AN OPENG GOAL THE 3-3 DRAW AGA THE TEAM NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTN. ROGERS SRED 3 TIM HIS TEN APPEARANC FOR THE CLUB HIS FIRST SEASON AND ALSO HELPED HIS TEAM WH ONE ASSIST.\NTHE 2008 SEASON WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH SEASON FOR ROGERS AS A PROFSNAL. HE STARTED THE MPAIGN REGULARLY FOR CREW, SRG HIS FIRST GOAL 4- 3 HOME W OVER CD CHIVAS USA ON 13 APRIL 2008. HE WAS AWARD BY THE MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR GAME WEEK SEVEN.\N CAPTION: ROBBIE ROGERS PLAYG FOR LA GALAXY SOURCE: OUTSPORTS \NREAD: PRENT RELATNSHIP STAT OF BOB HARPER AND HIS GAY BOYIEND ANTON GUTIERREZ\NROGERS PLAYED ALL FOUR MLS CUP GAM WH THE CREW, CLUDG THE FAL, WHERE THEY FEATED NEW YORK RED BULLS 3–1 NOVEMBER 2008 AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER.\NTHE SEASON WAS SUCCSFUL FOR ROGERS, AS HE WAS NAMED THE MLS BT XI TEAM FOR THE YEAR, AND ALSO PICKED UP SUPPORTERS ' SHIELD AND SILVERWARE FOR THE MLS CUP.\NON 2009, ROGER GOT HIS SEND SUPPORTERS' SHIELD TLE AFTER HIS TEAM FISHED THE FIRST POSN THE OVERALL STANDG, FISHG ONE POT AHEAD OF LOS ANGEL GALAXY.\NHIS LAST MATCH FOR THE CLUB WAS A 1- 0 LOSS WH COLORADO RAPIDS THE WILDRD GAME OF THE MLS CUP ON 28 OCTOBER 2011. HE LED THE TEAM WH ASSISTS DURG HIS LAST SEASON WH THE CLUB AND WAS ALSO AWARD THE \" CREW HARST WORKG PLAYER\" AWARD.\NHE MA 138 APPEARANC DURG HIS FIVE SEASONS ON THE CREW AND SRED 17 TIM. AFTER LEAVG COLUMB CREW, ROGERS WAS STRONGLY LKED TO A MOVE TO THE LEEDS UNED CHAMPNSHIP SI. HE SUBSEQUENTLY JOED LEEDS DECEMBER 2011 FOR AN IAL TWO- WEEK TRIAL PERD BEFORE SIGNG A NTRACT JANUARY 2012.\NHE MA HIS BUT ON 18 FEBARY 2012 AND ME AS A 79TH-MUTE SUBSTUTE FOR DONSTER ROVERS A 3- 2 W. HIS 2011-2012 CHAMPNSHIP SEASON WAS ED BY THE JURI, SUFFERG OM HEAD JURY DURG THE MATCH AGAST DONSTER ROVERS AND ALSO SUFFERED OM ANKLE JURY SOON AFTER REVERG OM HEAD JURY.  LATER ON AUGT 23, ROGER JOED LEAGUE ONE SI STEVENAGE ON LOAN AL UNTIL JANUARY 2013.\NROGER MA HIS BUT FOR THE CLUB AFTER TWO DAYS OF SIGNG, G AS A SUBSTUTE THE CLUBS 1-0 AWAY VICTORY. LATER, HE RETURNED TO LEEDS UNED ON JANUARY 15, 2013.\NWHEN HE RETURNED TO LEEDS, ROGERS LEFT THE CLUB WH MUTUAL NSENT AND WAS AVAILABLE FOR EE TRANSFER. HE MA ONLY FOUR APPEARANC, THREE OF WHICH WERE A SUBSTUTE DURG HIS TIME AT THE CLUB.\NROBBIE ROGERS SALARY AND NET WORTH

The uncerta 21-year-old has sce gone on to bee director of team admistratn at the MLS reprentatn provid by Rogers spired gay players, LGBT+ fans, ach and mpaigners around the world. The list of out gay and bi players the global men's profsnal game is still short but there have been more than twice as many public gs out sce 2013. Czech Republic wger Jakub Jankto - the first active senr ternatnal men's football to say he is gay - beme the latt this what is LGBT+ History Month the UK, Molleda is among those keen to mark the Rogers tone.

"We have to cred him for his bravery and how important that moment was, not only for soccer, but for gay history. What may have once been taboo was more faiar, thanks large part to a thread of TV shows featurg gay characters - om EastEnrs to Ellen, om Dawson's Creek to Sks - that pulled wi dienc spe the ocsnal tangle of were out role mols culture, the arts, fashn and polics. Barack Obama referred to gay rights at his swearg- after beg re-elected as US Print, a first for an gural addrs.

U.S. SOCCER STAR ‘ OUT’ AS GAY

In 2012, only 16 out of 160 clubs the top seven tiers of the English game had stated they would support the Football v Homophobia mpaign s Month of Actn Swen, Anton Hysen - the son of former Liverpool fenr Glenn - was the world's only out gay male footballer playg semi-profsnally at that time; Rabow Lac and rabow pta's armbands hadn't yet been vented; and there was jt one LGBT+ fans group for an English league club, the nascent Gay Gooners at Arsenal. For the first time his life, he found himself tellg another person that he was gay and although ma for an awkward enunter - the woman was tryg to h on him - he was exhilarated by this "taste of eedom", he was openg up to his olr sister Alicia, who felt relief but also sadns that her brother had suffered silence for so long.

When a member of Stevenage's then achg staff ed a homophobic slur a misguid attempt to motivate his players, Rogers cid was time to move on om football. In fact, many of the "blokey blok" said they admired what Rogers had done, a sentiment that seemed to ntradict so sharply wh the jok about beg gay that they enjoyed so fact this was a footballer g out was ccial to Zizzi.

ROBBIE ROGERS: THE AFTERMATH OF A GAY FOOTBALLER G OUT

After jt a few months as a ee agent, Rogers had accepted an offer om LA Galaxy to step back to was so well received by his new team-mat and ma such quick progrs wh the MLS anchise, whose trag base was loted a short drive om the fay home, that he would make his petive Galaxy but before the end of May, th beg the first out gay man to play a major US sports league.

"Comg Out to Play is still the only published English-language tobgraphy to date by an out gay footballer. "Whenever we'd speak and be close was through football, gog to Wt Brom gam, and we'd never talk about me beg gay. Meanwhile, for gay players who uld relate to Rogers, there was always the add plitns of their own circumstanc and the football environments they found themselv Beattie was playg Sgapore and so ep the closet that he had liberately disassociated himself om the topic of sexualy.

U.S. SOCCER PLAYER OPENS UP ABOUT BEG GAY

"By then, former Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger had also spoken publicly about beg gay, but Rogers was still providg the only visible reprentatn out on the pch the men's pro a special moment, he sred his first goal for the Galaxy on the club's Pri Night June 2015.

Rogers explaed how his Galaxy team-mat and staff had stantly rallied around him and by the morng, he was even more termed to be a bean for signed off the post wh a msage to his fellow gay and bi athlet: "Listen, only you know when and how 's bt for you to live your tth and share your story, but each one of you that choos to make this urageo step is not jt vastly improvg your own life but lerally savg others. "Robbie's g out had e at a time when I was sperate to know if there were other gay soccer players like myself, " rells Mart. He would go on to take part Q&As wh Rogers for Gay Tim and for the MLS platforms - full-circle moments for a young pro footballer who had really need a role mol.

He gave all gay kids lookg up to him and wonrg if they uld play the sport they love at the hight level, an example that is possible.

MILTONE FOR GAY ATHLET AS ROGERS PLAYS FOR GALAXY

For the Football v Homophobia mpaign, which had found clubs so tratgly reticent to engage on the topic the year before Rogers' g out, new opportuni opened up that helped to embed tn on cln at amy level. "Before then, everyone would say, 'It's the fans, they'll abe the players, that's why gay players n't e out'.

Meanwhile, the Rogers ripple effect that reached other gay male athlet - Jason Colls the NBA, Tom Daley divg, Hzlsperger, and later others - would also make wav women's football too, wh Casey Stoney g out publicly Febary 2014. "Addnally, the 2016 on-field cint which Rogers was subjected to a homophobic slur beme a teachable moment too how to handle, challenge and report abe.

But Rogers, who was released om his al by send-tier club Leeds Uned last summer before takg up a spot wh third-tier Stevenage, revealed on his blog that he is homosexual and keen to seek a life away om football. Rogers’ retirement means there are still no openly gay players participatg profsnal football Europe wh the exceptn of Swedish-based Anton Hysen. It was hoped that Hysen’s g out, which attracted headl the world over March 2011, would pave the way for other gay footballers to take siar steps.

ROBBIE ROGERS IS GAY PRO SOCCER PLAYER

But not sce the tragic loss of Jt Fashanu has a top-flight league wnsed an openly gay profsnal football player. Followg his passg, one particular group of fans would rece the chant: “He’s gay, he’s ad, he’s hangg a shed, Fashanu, Fashanu. While there has been huge progrs sce those dark days, the prence of homophobia football has not been extguished.

IN SEARCH OF A GAY SOCCER HERO: THE SECRET FOOTBALLER ON HOMOPHOBIA

Only this week, police lnched an vtigatn to allegatns that a Blackburn Rovers footballer ma homophobic gtur towards Brighton fans durg an English send divisn match. Brighton, which is suated on the south ast, has a large gay populatn and s fans are often targeted wh homophobic chants.