Jake Daniels, 18, met 'soulmate' Mark, 46, days after g out as gay | Football | Metro News

Contents:

• JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990
• GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER 'VERY LIKELY' TO E OUT NEXT YEAR, SAYS JT FASHANU'S NIECE
• JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER
• GARY LEKER HOP MALE GAY FOOTBALLER WILL E OUT DURG QATAR WORLD CUP
• PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY RELATNSHIP AMID WORLD CUP NTROVERSY
• WHY THERE ARE STILL NO OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLERS THE PREMIER LEAGUE
• GARY LEKER SAYS HE KNOWS TWO GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS AND HOP THEY E OUT DURG QATAR WORLD CUPTHE FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER SAID THAT HE KNOW TWO GAY PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN “VERY CLOSE” TO REVEALG THEIR SEXUALYBUZZBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSPORTBYRUAIRI STT BYRNEDEPUTY EDOR17:51, 14 OCT 2022UPDATED15:31, 2 NOV 2022BOOKMARKGARY LEKER ATTENDS AN EVENG WH GARY LEKER, NVERSATN WH TIM MARLOW OBE, AT THE DIGN MM PARTNERSHIP WH THE WICK ON MAY 24, 2022 LONDON, ENGLAND (IMAGE: DAVID M. BET/DAVE BET/GETTY IMAG FOR THE DIGN MM)SIGN UP TO OUR EE EMAIL ALERTS FOR THE BT PROMOTNS SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR E-MAILMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 SIGN UP TO OUR EE EMAIL ALERTS FOR THE BT PROMOTNS SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR E-MAILINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!
• OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER JAKE DANIELS, 18, MET ‘SOULMATE’ MARK, 46, AFTER HE SLID TO HIS DMS WHEN HE ME OUT
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• I LONG FOR A DAY WHEN GAY FOOTBALLERS LIKE ME AND JOSH CAVALLO DON’T NEED TO BE SO ‘BRAVE’
• UNNAMED PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER REVEALS HE IS GAY LETTER BUT SAYS HE N'T GO PUBLIC
• GRAEME SOUNS EXPLAS WHY THERE ARE NO OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLERS THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND REVEALS TNAL VIS TO BRIGHTON PRI PARA
• AT LEAST 20 FOOTBALLERS PREMIER LEAGUE AND CHAMPNSHIP ARE GAY BUT THEY'RE AAID TO E OUT SAYS EX-CLUB BOSS
• GARY LEKER SAYS HE KNOWS TWO GAY PREMIER LEAGUE STARS AND HOP THEY WILL E OUT AT QATAR WORLD CUP
• THE FEAR OF A GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER: I WILL BE CCIFIED
• THERE ARE GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS WHO HAVE E OUT TO TEAMMAT BUT FEAR HOMOPHOBIC BACKLASH OM FANS, SAYS SIR
• "A MASSIVE STEP FORWARD FOR GAY PLAYERS" - 2 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAMMAT ARE REPORTEDLY A RELATNSHIP AND ULD REVEAL INTI NEAR FUTURE
• TWO PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS ' RELATNSHIP' AND OPEN WH TEAMMAT ABOUT BEG GAY

JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990

The Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has end s of silence wh men’s football to bee the first player the UK to e out as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990.

Photograph: Pl Dennis/TGS Photo/ShutterstockDaniels’s revelatn is a strikg landmark that when men’s football is more engaged wh social issu than any recent time, but still unable to ce progrs LGBTQ reprentatn wh the year Alai Uned’s Josh Cavallo beme the only male top-flight profsnal footballer the world to e out as gay, but others are yet to follow. In six months the men’s World Cup will be played Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal, and Cavallo revealed to the Guardian he would be “sred” to play at the tournament, the pnacle of world English football specifilly, the shadow of the talented and unfulfilled Fashanu still lgers over the game.

GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER 'VERY LIKELY' TO E OUT NEXT YEAR, SAYS JT FASHANU'S NIECE

The England ternatnal me out at the end of his reer and was to take his own life eight years later, Fashanu, Jt’s niece, who ns a charable foundatn his name, said that Daniels’s cisn would “e as a huge fort to the many footballers at all levels of the game still secretly livg as gay and who still feel unable to e out”.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

"Blackpool forward Jake Daniels speaks exclively on beg the UK's first male profsnal footballer to e out publicly as gay sce Jt talks about g out to his parents, his club, and his team-mat. I n't really put a date on , but I was probably five or six years old when I knew I was gay. Jake Daniels: England's only openly gay active footballer reveals Tom Daley spired him to e out.

Jt Fashanu: LGBTQ+ Norwich fan group raisg money to stall statue of first openly gay footballer.

GIANT MURAL ON NORWICH PUB HONOURS JT FASHANU, ENGLAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER

Of urse I am aware that there will be a reactn to this and some of will be homophobic, maybe a stadium and on social 's an easy thg for people to target. Football v Homophobia: "Football v Homophobia would like to ngratulate Jake on takg this step to share his thentic self the men's profsnal game, pecially at such a young age. "There have prevly been players who felt that they had no place the game as out gay men durg their playg reers, but Jake is showg the world that you n be yourself.

To e out publicly as the first openly gay player men's profsnal football the UK the last 30 years tak urage.

GARY LEKER HOP MALE GAY FOOTBALLER WILL E OUT DURG QATAR WORLD CUP

A giant mural of England's first openly gay footballer has been unveiled on the si of a Fashanu remas the only male profsnal player to nfirm he was homosexual - amid fears he would be "outed" by a natnal newspaper 1990 - and was ducted to the footballg Hall of Fame spe now beg seen as an spiratn the fight agast homophobia and discrimatn sport, the proud Canary took his own life 1998 - wrg his suici note that beg gay and a personaly was "so hard" former Norwich Cy striker, who beme the UK's first black £1m player when he was sold to Nottgham Fort, ntu to be seen as a legend at the Norfolk Champnship "wonr strike" agast Liverpool at Carrow Road 1980 went on to w Match of the Day's goal of the season now his face has taken pri of place on the si of a Canari supporters pub.

A mural of former Norwich Cy player Jt Fashanu, England's first openly gay footballer, has appeared on the Fat Cat and Canary. There was a lot of homophobia the prs and media and he was hound for the fact that he me out as beg gay.

PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY RELATNSHIP AMID WORLD CUP NTROVERSY

Gary Leker wants to see a Premier League player e out as gay durg the Qatar World Cup to send a strong msage to a host natn where homosexualy remas a former England striker Leker told the Daily Mirror he knows of two gay Premier League players, sayg they had been “very close” to g out before now. “If I were an agent of a big footballer, if I knew one of my players was gay, if he was a top player, I’d say: ‘Be the first big player. This is a hot topic particularly bee the host natn, Qatar, is known to crimalise homosexual relatns.

Now, has been revealed that two Premier League teammat are a gay an exclive story by The Sun, the two Premier League footballers are reportedly open about beg a gay relatnship, at least as far as the drsg room go. Earlier this month, the Qatari ambassador to the UK had warned same-sex upl not to kiss public if they will travel to watch the World, World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman ed outrage last week after sayg that beg gay is tantamount to havg "damage the md. This is why the possibily of havg two active Premier League players speak up about beg gay is such an important topic for the LGBTQ+ muny at the moment.

WHY THERE ARE STILL NO OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLERS THE PREMIER LEAGUE

There are mours about other gay players, but remas to be seen if they will e out publicly while still nversatns about the topic will surely ntue to the World Cup, pecially wh thoands of spectators flockg to Qatar to enjoy the event. Fifa’s U-turn over the OneLove armband this week reflects a wir lack of support for gay players Brish football.

Nearly 25 years after Jt Fashanu took his own life, followg years of homophobic abe, Brish football still has not had another openly gay player the top flight. The armband was never much of a gture, but would have been a small act of fiance at the tournament beg award to Qatar, where homosexualy is punishable by imprisonment and some s, ath. “Pathetic, ” said Blackpool forward Jake Daniels, the only out gay player the English league, on Instagram after hearg the news.

Sce Fashanu’s ath, there have been untls iativ to stamp out homophobia the stands and support gay footballers. Former footballer Clarke Carlisle, a proment spokman for player welfare, said eight Premier League players had told him they were gay.

GARY LEKER SAYS HE KNOWS TWO GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS AND HOP THEY E OUT DURG QATAR WORLD CUPTHE FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER SAID THAT HE KNOW TWO GAY PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN “VERY CLOSE” TO REVEALG THEIR SEXUALYBUZZBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSSPORTBYRUAIRI STT BYRNEDEPUTY EDOR17:51, 14 OCT 2022UPDATED15:31, 2 NOV 2022BOOKMARKGARY LEKER ATTENDS AN EVENG WH GARY LEKER, NVERSATN WH TIM MARLOW OBE, AT THE DIGN MM PARTNERSHIP WH THE WICK ON MAY 24, 2022 LONDON, ENGLAND (IMAGE: DAVID M. BET/DAVE BET/GETTY IMAG FOR THE DIGN MM)SIGN UP TO OUR EE EMAIL ALERTS FOR THE BT PROMOTNS SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR E-MAILMORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 SIGN UP TO OUR EE EMAIL ALERTS FOR THE BT PROMOTNS SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR E-MAILINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

Yet none the Premier League are out, and Daniels is the only out gay player the English league. “Football is a socially nservative world, ” says Ross Rais, whose novel, A Natural, is about a gay footballer. Consir the se of (heterosexual) Graeme Le Sx, who played for Chelsea and England the 1990s and 2000s and was brand “gay” for admtg he read The Guardian.

Fans tnted him wh homophobic chants and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler famoly waggled his backsi at Le Sx durg a match. The clubs and the FA have ma efforts to improve the culture wh iativ such as Kick It Out, which mpaigns agast discrimatn and Football v Homophobia, backed by the FA, which offers support to fans, grassroots teams and top-level clubs. Even where men’s sport has had one or two high-profile gay players, as wh Gareth Thomas gby unn, they rema outliers.

OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLER JAKE DANIELS, 18, MET ‘SOULMATE’ MARK, 46, AFTER HE SLID TO HIS DMS WHEN HE ME OUT

Gary Leker says he hop a Premier League player will e out as gay durg the Qatar World Cup to send a strong msage to a host natn where homosexualy remas a crime. The Former England striker told the Daily Mirror he knows two gay Premier League players who have been “very close” to g out. ” Last year, Alai Uned’s Josh Cavallo me out as gay and said that he knows there are other players “livg silence”, while May, 17-year-old Blackpool player Jake Daniels beme the UK’s first profsnal male football player to e out as gay sce Jt Fashanu 1990.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

Background Former Norwich Cy and Nottgham Fort player Jt Fashanu beme the first openly gay male Brish footballer when he me out an terview wh The Sun 1990. In 2018, then-Mnota Uned FC player Coll Mart announced he is gay, beg at the time the world’s only current openly gay, active male profsnal footballer. Former German ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger is the only openly gay player to have ever featured the Premier League.

Hzlsperger, who enjoyed stts wh Wt Ham Uned and Aston Villa, revealed he is gay January 2014, a few months after retirg bee of jury problems.

Openly gay footballer Jake Daniels, 18, met ‘soulmate’ Mark, 46, after he slid to his DMs when he me out. Jake Daniels ‘uld not be more happy’ after g out as gay last year (Picture: @BlackpoolFC)Blackpool FC star Jake Daniels has opened up on how he met his ‘soulmate’ the days after he publicly me out as gay.

I LONG FOR A DAY WHEN GAY FOOTBALLERS LIKE ME AND JOSH CAVALLO DON’T NEED TO BE SO ‘BRAVE’

The footballer, 18, last year beme the first player the top four men’s divisns to e out as gay 32 years, sce Jt Fashanu 1990. The young star had battled ncerns about g out, worryg would affect his future transfer chanc and admtg he wouldn’t have felt ‘safe’ playg last year’s World Cup, where homosexualy is crimalised.

He knew he was gay om a young age, he add, but told nobody as he was aaid his iends would treat him differently. In a msage to his mother and sister, the first people he told he was gay, he wrote that nobody else uld know yet ‘bee of the job I’m . In his ndid terview wh Sky Sports last year, he said he was ‘probably five or six years old when I knew I was gay.

MORE: Jake Daniels me out as gay after watchg Tom Daley’s alternative Christmas speech: ‘I watched that msage over and over’. 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.

UNNAMED PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER REVEALS HE IS GAY LETTER BUT SAYS HE N'T GO PUBLIC

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.

GRAEME SOUNS EXPLAS WHY THERE ARE NO OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLERS THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND REVEALS TNAL VIS TO BRIGHTON PRI PARA

Now, whout any further ado, let’s list the football players who dared to e out as gay publicly. Currently, he is the only openly gay football player to play any of the Amerin top 5 major leagu.

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.

Later, after wng the 2014 MLS Cup, Rodgers also beme the first gay male to w the league tle the USA. In 2019, he was also featured a documentary related to homophobia sports named Standg on the Le.

AT LEAST 20 FOOTBALLERS PREMIER LEAGUE AND CHAMPNSHIP ARE GAY BUT THEY'RE AAID TO E OUT SAYS EX-CLUB BOSS

Tto is a You Can Play mpaign advisory group fightg to elimate homophobia the sportg world. Anton Hysen is the youngt son of retired Swedish footballer Glenn Hysen and one of the gay players football.

Later, he was profiled on Swedish broadstg channel TV4 March 2011 a bate show (Can gays play football too? Likewise, he also participated the 7th edn of the realy TV show Lets Dance and beme the first-ever gay to w the ntt. The documentary Rise Above is a film on Anton Hysen released 2013 to portray his story as gay.

In 1990, Jt broke the barrier the footballg World when he clared himself gay publicly the newspaper. Later, on 22nd October 1990, The Sun Tabloid newspaper published the headle “£1m Football Star: I AM GAY”.

GARY LEKER SAYS HE KNOWS TWO GAY PREMIER LEAGUE STARS AND HOP THEY WILL E OUT AT QATAR WORLD CUP

After his ath, The Pk Paper ranked Jt Fashanu the 99th spot the Top 500 Lbian and Gay Hero. Likewise, The Jt Fashanu All-stars football special event started Brighton to honor him and promote homosexualy football. In June 2020, former profsnal footballer Tomas Beattie me out as gay durg an Amerin sports channel ESPN terview.

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. Growg up, I had no gay role mols, no one to look up to and see that is OK to be gay and play football.

THE FEAR OF A GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER: I WILL BE CCIFIED

Instead I grew up hearg thgs like “Oh, that’s so gay”, gay beg ed as a word to reprent somethg distasteful, somethg that someone didn’t like. It was not only graed me that football and beg gay was a no-go, but beg gay self was agast the g out, you first mt learn to accept yourself for who you are.

THERE ARE GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS WHO HAVE E OUT TO TEAMMAT BUT FEAR HOMOPHOBIC BACKLASH OM FANS, SAYS SIR

Sportg associatns like the PFA (the players’ unn) have an important role helpg gay players, and was the PFA who helped facilate my g out. Lookg back, what I really thk is brave and urageo has been seeg my teammat or iends fight back agast homophobic ments. 'I'm a footballer and I'm gay': A-League player Josh Cavallo talks about his sexualy – vioAfter g out durg a trag ssn a player ed a homophobic slur.

For me, a homophobic ment n slice right through me and take me back to feelgs of worthlsns and beg a nstant state of self-nscns. Fightg agast homophobia and creatg a safer environment for people to be themselv has bee a real passn for me.

An unnamed Premier League footballer has revealed he is gay an open letter, but isn't prepared to e out star has opened up about the torment of keepg his sexualy a secret and has aimed the letter at thori and fans, scribg how he is takg a "huge step" revealg his sexualy.

"A MASSIVE STEP FORWARD FOR GAY PLAYERS" - 2 PREMIER LEAGUE TEAMMAT ARE REPORTEDLY A RELATNSHIP AND ULD REVEAL INTI NEAR FUTURE

In a letter which has been shared wh Sky News by the Jt Fashanu Foundatn, the player wr: "I am gay. The unknown star is beg supported by the Jt Fashanu Foundatn, which is n by the former footballer's niece, Fashanu, who played for top flight clubs om the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, was the first profsnal footballer to be openly gay. Ms Fashanu says there are no openly gay or bisexual male profsnal footballers the untry at prent and this revelatn was a "signifint moment and a posive step forward" tacklg this told Sky News: "The fact this player wanted to wre a letter about this is a huge step forward.

"In a Digal, Culture, Media and Sport Select Commtee hearg on 7 July, former England women's team footballer Enla Alo said gay male footballers wouldn't risk g out the public doma bee of the homophobic backlash they would said there are current footballers who have told their teammat they are gay, but add: "The issue really now is that fear of what fans will do and are gog to say, but I don't thk that is as legimate a fear as ed to be bee we're livg a world now where beg gay is somethg that is wily accepted.

There are untls tim I've heard homophobic chants and ments om supporters directed at no one particular.

TWO PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS ' RELATNSHIP' AND OPEN WH TEAMMAT ABOUT BEG GAY

HONEST Graeme Souns explas why there are no openly gay footballers the Premier League and reveals tnal vis to Brighton Pri paraPublished: 9:44, 9 Dec 2019Graeme Souns believ football has created an ‘unfortable environment’ for gay players.

Former Wt Ham and Aston Villa midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger beme the first openly gay Premier League player - but he only me out 2014, a year after retirg om the game.