At least 20 footballers Premier League and Champnship are gay but they're aaid to e out says ex-club boss - Mirror Onle

Contents:

• JAKE DANIELS BE FIRST UK MALE FOOTBALLER TO E OUT AS GAY SCE 1990
• JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY
• AT LEAST 20 FOOTBALLERS PREMIER LEAGUE AND CHAMPNSHIP ARE GAY BUT THEY'RE AAID TO E OUT SAYS EX-CLUB BOSS
• THE MOST FAMO GAY FOOTBALLERS IN THE MORN GAME
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• TOP 10 GAY NFL PLAYERS WHO ARE TLY INSPIRATNAL
• 20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS
• JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY RELATNSHIP AMID WORLD CUP NTROVERSY
• GAY PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER 'VERY LIKELY' TO E OUT NEXT YEAR, SAYS JT FASHANU'S NIECE
• JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FOOTBALLER, 17, OUT, BEG ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER BRA

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.

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”. Media ptn, WATCH: 'I am ready to be myself' - Jake DanielsJake Daniels is the first profsnal footballer the UK men's game for more than 30 years to e out as gay while still playg.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FOOTBALLER OUT AS GAY

"Before Jake, Josh Cavallo - who plays for Alai Uned Atralia - was the only openly gay top-flight male profsnal footballer the world, havg e out last do 'g out' mean? Comg out of the closet, often shortened to g out, is when a person shar wh others that they are lbian, gay, bi and/or trans (LGBT) out is different for everyone and n take some time to get to a pot where someone feels fortable and nfint enough to tell other is this important?

Only four male profsnal football players who have played the UK have shared that they were gay - Thomas Beattie, Jt Fashanu, Thomas Hzlsperger and Robbie Jake Daniels, only Jt Fashanu revealed he was gay whilst he was still playg football 1990. The other three shared that they were gay after retirg om after g out Jt Fashanu suffered om homophobic bullyg and harassment before he died do LGBTQ+ stand for? The + is an clive symbol to mean 'and others' to clu people of all ptn, WATCH: Gay footballers talk about their experienc the game (June 2020)Thomas Beattie, who was a former youth player for English club Hull Cy, said that he felt that he uldn't announce that he was gay while still playg: "I lerally felt like I had to sacrifice one of the two: who I am, or the sport I loved, " he there are now chari and anisatns that mpaign to make football more clive and a safe place for the LGBTQ+ muny.

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

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

Speakg about how g out will change his life Daniels said: "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 media.

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. Atralian striker Andy Brennan me out as gay 2019, beg the first out gay Atralian male footballer.

He me out 2011, and won the seventh season of Swedish realy show Let's Dance, beg the first out gay person to w.

THE MOST FAMO GAY FOOTBALLERS IN THE MORN GAME

His early clubs knew he was gay, and he me out durg his reer, beg the first pro footballer to do so. In 2014, he beme Bra's hight-profile out, gay player, and was the first out, gay male player to play at Wembley. 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.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

At least 20 footballers Premier League and Champnship are gay but they're aaid to e out says ex-club bossOpenly gay Leeds Uned director David Haigh says players nfid him - and he believ clubs uld benef mercially if stars e outDavid Haigh durg his time at Leeds UnedAt least 20 football stars are gay and “aaid” to e out, a top club’s ex-director claims.

He was openly gay durg a spell as Leeds Uned MD 2013-14 and says many homosexual players nfid him as a rult. He spoke out after Belgium fenr Carl Hoefkens told how he had played wh two Premier League footballers who were gay but publicly ‘ the closet’.

TOP 10 GAY NFL PLAYERS WHO ARE TLY INSPIRATNAL

Mr Haigh was openly gay wh board members and fans at Elland Road, and says many gay players nfid him as a rult. Some top stars are open about beg gay wh team mat, but feel too sred to tell their fans, Mr Haigh claims.

Dad-of-two Hoefkens, 39, who played for Stoke and Wt Brom om, told Belgian newspaper De Zondag: “I played alongsi three gay footballers, cludg one who was a genuely big name.

20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS

” Mr Haigh was ntacted by gay players om different top flight clubs, but adms was difficult for them to go public about their sexualy.

” But he do believe certa untri ‘own upon’ gay relatnships and so club ownership, and sponsors, uld be a problem.

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

In today’s world, LGBT has gaed acceptance of homosexualy, although rejectn still do prevail ral areas. Also, they are the on who have ma a notable announcement to openly lbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, and transgenr sportspeople. However, the duo separated 2009, and later the 2012-13 season, Colls openly announced himself as gay.

Likewise, he is also a trampolist and, equally important, the first openly gay athlete to w an Olympic gold medal.

“I don’t see sexualy as fluencg my beliefs or opns or perceptns of anybody, whether they’re gay, straight, bi, trans, experimental, I don’t re. On Augt 15, 2013, Fred Rosser openly me out as gay, and he was the first profsnal wrtler to do so. Furthermore, he has openly e out as gay, and th, he is the first high-profile Atralian sportsperson and the first gby footballer the world to be such.

PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS OPENLY GAY RELATNSHIP AMID WORLD CUP NTROVERSY

Michael Sam is a profsnal football player and the first-ever gay player to be drafted to the NFL.

Rogers is a former profsnal soccer player and the first openly gay man to pete a top North Amerin profsnal sports league.

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

Consequently, Robbie me out as gay back 2013, and 2016, he married his longtime boyiend, televisn wrer-producer Greg Berlanti. The Phenomenon has also been a part of the first-class ducte the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame.

Homosexualy English and world football is still a taboo subject and one that is shared by both players and the media.

Comg out as a gay man the world of football is a sry thg and one that tak a hell of a lot of urage and bravery. In this list we want to highlight and celebrate the brave men that have ma the cisn to tell the world about their sexualy and e out as gay.

JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FOOTBALLER, 17, OUT, BEG ONLY OPENLY GAY MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER BRA

In 2014, most of the football muny around Thomas was very supportive of his cisn to e out as a gay man. Hzlsperger spends a lot of his time helpg other footballers to fd their voic when to their sexualy, tg clubs and the wir football muny and helpg gay players to not be ashamed of beg a gay.

Anton Hysen me out as gay back 2011 when he was jt 20 years old whilst playg for Swedish team Utsiktens BK. 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.