Ex Villa player is 'first German gay footballer' - ITV News

Contents:

• BUNSLIGA STARS OFFER SUPPORT TO GAY FOOTBALLERS
• 8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY
• GERMANY AND BAYERN STAR MAR GOMEZ URG GAY FOOTBALLERS TO GO PUBLIC
• STORM OVER 'BUNCH OF GAYS' GERMANY'S WORLD CUP TEAM
• GERMAN FOOTBALLER'S G-OUT SHOWS CHALLENG OF BEG GAY SOCCER
• THE GAY FOOTBALLER WHO CHOSE EEDOM OVER ‘NSTCTED PRISON’
• THOMAS HZLSPERGER OUT AS BEG GAY: FORMER GERMAN TERNATNAL FOOTBALLER REVEALS HIS HOMOSEXUALY
• EX VILLA PLAYER IS 'FIRST GERMAN GAY FOOTBALLER'
• HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS
• EX-GERMANY TERNATNAL THOMAS HZLSPERGER: IT WOULD BE GREAT IF A FOOTBALLER ME OUT AS GAY DURG THE QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP
• THOMAS HZLSPERGER BE FIRST HIGH-PROFILE GAY FOOTBALLER
• GAY GERMAN FOOTBALLER, THOMAS HZLSPERGER, SAYS TOM DALEY HELPED HIM E OUT
• ‘I HAVE BEEN FIGHTG MY SEXUALY’: A-LEAGUE MEN PLAYER JOSH CAVALLO OUT AS GAY
• 20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS

BUNSLIGA STARS OFFER SUPPORT TO GAY FOOTBALLERS

(1:02)Stephan Uersfeld, Germany rrponntFeb 17, 2021, 09:23 AM ETMore than 800 players, both male and female, across Germany have offered their support to any gay footballer addrsg their sexual footballers said they would offer support to anyone stgglg wh their cisn to e out public and, if need be, fend them " the face of hostily.

8 MALE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DARED TO COME OUT AS GAY

"It's now 2021 -- and still there is not a sgle openly gay football profsnal the men's game Germany, " the appeal, published by German football magaze 11 Frn, said. "#ihrkönntfunszählen⁠⁠In r nen 11FREUNDE Agabe #232 stärken Almuth Schult und über 800 weere Fußballernen und Fußballer Dtschland homosexuellen Spielern n Rücken.

"Philipp Bommer of Hertha Junxx, the first gay fan club Bunsliga, formed 2001, told ESPN that the appeal was "credibly important for players and an important signal for both fans and society.

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. 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.

GERMANY AND BAYERN STAR MAR GOMEZ URG GAY FOOTBALLERS TO GO PUBLIC

A leadg German footballer has urged gay players to e out and lled for a radil rethk about homosexualy the Bayern Munich striker Mar Gomez has broken ranks wh the football tablishment, cludg members of his own team and the German football feratn, who have warned that g out uld stroy a player's Gomez, who has not said whether he is gay, told a German magaze that beg hont about their sexualy would improve gay players' performance. "The 25-year-old, who was voted German footballer of the year 2006-7, add that there were plenty of role mols the rt of German society to give gay players the urage to e out.

So profsnal footballers should own up to their preference, " he are no openly gay players Germany's Bunsliga, reflectg the suatn across the football world, although is timated that about 10% of players are only German footballer to have e out is Marc Urban, who told his teammat 1997 and promptly end his profsnal reer. The 39-year-old waed until 2007 before gog public wh his story, sayg he had hoped to enurage other gay players and traers to e out and th ntribute to more acceptance and tolerance is the first leadg player to urge his homosexual lleagu to go public.

STORM OVER 'BUNCH OF GAYS' GERMANY'S WORLD CUP TEAM

Others have been vehemently agast such a move, sayg would harm a footballer's an terview this year, Tim Wie, who plays goal for the natnal team and Werr Bremen, advised gay players agast g out, sayg they would be "stroyed" by "mercils fans". "The German football feratn (DFB) said that while was mpaigng agast homophobia football and would support any player who chose to e out, uld not ignore the problems that would acpany such a cisn. German football was engulfed ntroversy today over remarks by the agent of a top footballer, who allegedly referred to a "bunch of gays" the natnal team.

Michael Becker, who has been the agent of German natnal football pta Michael Ballack for more than a , is reported to have ma the ment the latt edn of the news magaze Der an say entled New German Men, Aleksanr Osang reunts an terview he had wh Becker prr to the World Cup which the agent allegedly told him which of the players the team were gay.

Asked about the sexualy of one of the newer players, Becker, who is a lawyer by profsn, referred to him as beg "half gay" went on to say that Becker put the new adro, lighter and elegant style of play that has bee a tramark of traer Joachim Löw's players down to their homosexualy, ntrast to the typilly more aggrsive and offensive German style of past years, but suggted they played too litely to assure themselv a place the fal. The German Football Feratn, which is the sportg associatn wh the largt membership the world, refed to ment, while Löw said he "would not stoop so low" as to the ments have raised ncerns that homosexualy remas one of the major taboos the footballg world.

GERMAN FOOTBALLER'S G-OUT SHOWS CHALLENG OF BEG GAY SOCCER

The only German footballer to have outed himself as gay is the former regnal league player for Erfurt Marc Urban, and that was only after his profsnal reer was over. Former German natnal and English Premier League midfielr Thomas Hzlsperger has jt bee the hight-profile soccer player to announce that he is his announcement, which after his retirement om the profsnal game, highlights the ongog challeng that openly gay players face German and English soccer, spe greater locker-room acceptance of homosexual teammat there than the discsn about homosexualy soccer has for too long been “simply ignored, ” said recently retired Mr.

“I was never ashamed of beg who I am, but was not always easy to s at a table wh 20 young men and listen to jok about gays, ” Hzlsperger told the Premier League player’s cisn to reveal his sexualy after his retirement September is a mendable step, but rerc jt how difficult is to e out of the closet while an active football player, says Marc Naimark, a spokman om the Feratn of Gay Gam. Players rema anx that their teammat will perceive them as “sissi” or that they will ph away is hopeful that Hzlsperger’s move will advance a discsn about homosexualy among sports players – pecially far ls gay-tolerant untri such as Rsia – when he meets wh the Olympic Natnal Commtee Germany on Friday.

Robbie Rogers, an Amerin who ed to play for Leeds Uned, announced he was gay and retired 2012 (though he returned to the game last year and now plays for the Los Angel Galaxy).

THE GAY FOOTBALLER WHO CHOSE EEDOM OVER ‘NSTCTED PRISON’

Most wa until they know their teammat well enough to build tst and make the out as a football player Bra or Germany would be much easier than the US, argu Profsor Anrson, due to the public's ls strongly held relig players do e out, they exhib better athletic performance, as they are able to ncentrate better wh their creased peace of md, says Tatjana Eggelg, a cultural anthropologist who advis gay profsnal athlet Eggelg has helped a few of the players she has worked wh – cludg those the Bunsliga, the untry’s profsnal soccer league – reveal their sexualy to iends, fay, and sometim to tsted teammat, but not yet publicly, she says. Former Uned Stat natnal team player Robbie Rogers recently announced he was gay on the same day he retired om the sport, while Swen-based Anton Hysen is currently the only openly “out” player Europe.

Her ments me followg an article a German magaze which an anonymo gay Bunsliga player said the fear of add media attentn was the reason why he hadn’t announced his sexualy. Fans of the club, formerly n by openly gay print Corny Ltmann, staged a monstratn agast discrimatn which clud brightly-lored posters and a banner readg, “Football is everythg – even gay. Fifteen years on om Fashanu’s suici, wh other sports such as gby and basketball settg a precent and wh the NFL reportedly closer than ever to havg a homosexual player, is the betiful game ready for a high-profile gay star?

Urban has told his story the book “Hidn Player: The story of a gay footballer, ” while he is also somethg of a life ach, nsultg wh anizatns – cludg football associatns – on issu of diversy and tegratn.

THOMAS HZLSPERGER OUT AS BEG GAY: FORMER GERMAN TERNATNAL FOOTBALLER REVEALS HIS HOMOSEXUALY

Acrdg to Urban, former Wal ternatnal gby player Gareth Thomas – who told the world he was gay 2009 – has set out the perfect blueprt for others to follow.

The former Germany ternatnal says he has revealed his homosexualy orr to brg about a discsn on the subject sportComg out: Hzlsperger says he only realised his sexualy recentlyFormer footballer Thomas Hzlsperger has revealed an terview that he is gay, and that he wants to brg a discsn about homosexualy to the foreont of profsnal sport. In an terview wh German magaze Ze, the 31-year-old broached the subject of his homosexualy publicly for the first time and spoke about the issu facg gay sportsmen and women.

" The German ternatnal claimed that the issue of homosexualy had been "simply ignored" football, but admted that his homosexualy is only somethg that he has only recently been aware of: "It has only recently been obv to me what I would rather live wh a man. " The terview wh Ze is the first given by Thomas Hzlsperger as an openly gay man, although a Q&A wh Ze magaze 2012, the footballer did broach the subject of homosexualy the drsg room: "In the changg room gay footballers are talked about om time to time.

EX VILLA PLAYER IS 'FIRST GERMAN GAY FOOTBALLER'

" Hzlsperger is one of only a handful of footballers to e out as beg gay, addn to Amerin footballer Robbie Rogers, who retired after announcg his homosexualy, but has sce signed a ntract wh LA Galaxy, and former Notts County player Jt Fashanu, brother of John Fashanu. In May 2022, Jake Daniels me out at the age of 17  an open letter on the Blackpool Football Club’s webse, beg at that time the UK’s only openly gay active male profsnal footballer.

HERE ARE EIGHT OUT AND PROUD MALE GAY FOOTBALLERS

" The prime mister, as turns out, would soon add his voice to a raft of high-profile well-wishers that clud Angela Merkel, the German natnal team manager Joachim Löw, and the former German foreign mister Guido Wterwelle, who is also all talked about the former Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton midfielr's "urage" breakg one of sport's last great taboos: Hzlsperger, pped 52 tim by his untry, is the first German footballer to reveal he is gay. Photograph: Peter Kneffel/EPAWhile Germany as a untry has noticeably bee more and more relaxed about homosexualy recent years, he had also noted there was an unhelpful media obssn wh fdg the first gay footballer. All sorts of well-tend but ultimately unhelpful terventns om heterosexual players – who eher oped that gay players would benef om g out or utned agast – did not exactly fill him wh nfince that this was ed the right step.

Homosexualy was rarely a big topic any of the drsg rooms he enuntered, he says, and "the subject only me up when people were speculatg about someone else's sexualy, but never their prence. I scerely hope that we'll see the when nobody mentns urage the circumstanc anymore, bee will be seen as totally normal that a sports person will speak about his homosexualy, the way others talk about their wiv and girliends.

FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022Ex-Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger: It would be great if a footballer me out as gay durg the Qatar 2022 World CupWorld Cup will kick off a uple of weeksESEFEADAPTED BY SAM.

EX-GERMANY TERNATNAL THOMAS HZLSPERGER: IT WOULD BE GREAT IF A FOOTBALLER ME OUT AS GAY DURG THE QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP

CSTFormer Germany ternatnal Thomas Hzlsperger, who publicly revealed that he is gay back 2013, exprsed his wish to see a player do the same durg the World Cup Qatar.

However, Hzlsperger acknowledged that this may not the bt time to e out for a football player amidst ntroversy followg the homophobic statements of the Qatari tournament ambassador and former ternatnal, Khalid Salman.

THOMAS HZLSPERGER BE FIRST HIGH-PROFILE GAY FOOTBALLER

Salman's statements, clud a report by German public televisn ZDF, have horrified the German addn to g the term "mental illns, " Salman told the ZDF reporter that homosexualy is "haram" (forbidn by relign) Interr and Sports Mister Nancy Faer exprsed her "astonishment" at Salman's statements but nsired the safety of visors to the tournament to be guaranteed. "The petenc on this issue belong to the Mister of the Interr and at the same time Prime Mister of the untry, " said Faer, who vised Qatar last German Lbian and Gay Associatn (LSVD) had already mand that travel to Qatar should be explicly disuraged before Salman's remarks. The 31-year-old, who retired om the game September, told German newspaper Die Ze that he wants to further the bate about homosexualy sports, which has for long been a taboo.

“I’m g out about my homosexualy bee I want to move the discsn about homosexualy among profsnal sportspeople forwards, ” he said an extract prr to the publitn of a full terview on Thursday.

GAY GERMAN FOOTBALLER, THOMAS HZLSPERGER, SAYS TOM DALEY HELPED HIM E OUT

On the same day, French newspaper Le Parisien reported a documentary to be shown on Canal+ featured Paris-Sat Germa fenr Alex exprsg his fah-based disapproval of homosexualy. Swedish footballer Anton Hysen, son of former Liverpool fenr Glenn Hysen, me out 2011 and told CNN last year he had spoken to other gay players who were too sred to do the same. 'Tom Daley ma me feel like I was not alone': German footballer says diver's same-sex relatnship helped him e out Thomas Hzlsperger says he had read about Tom Daley's announcementFootballer was also spired by Gareth Thomas and John AmaechiSays he wants to help other footballers who may be his sho31-year-old end playg reer September due to persistent juriGerman midfielr played for Aston Villa, Wt Ham Uned and EvertonUsed to live wh fiancée Inga Totzer but spl up wh her June 2007 Published: 07:48 BST, 9 January 2014 | Updated: 10:41 BST, 9 January 2014 German football star Thomas Hzlsperger has said diver Tom Daley's acknowledgement that he was a same-sex relatnship helped him to e out publicly as 31-year-old German ternatnal midfielr yterday beme the first Premier League star to reveal he was homosexual, sayg that he had recently accepted that he 'preferred men'.

’The former Aston Villa, Wt Ham and Everton player said he had also felt empowered by Welsh gby player Gareth Thomas, who publilly announced he was gay 2009, and John Amaechi, who beme the first NBA (Natnal Basketball Associatn) player to speak out about his homosexualy.

Hzlsperger said that he was also enuraged by former Leeds Uned and US wger Robbie Rogers announced he was gay last year, and hoped that he too might be able to enurage other footballers to do the same. ' Empowered: Hzlsperger said he had read about gby player Gareth Thomas (left), who announced he was gay 2009, and basketball player John Amaechi (right), who was the first NBA star to e out publilly Another announcement: Former Leeds Uned and US wger Robbie Rogers said he was gay last year Early ath: Former England Unr-21 ternatnal Jt Fashanu was the first profsnal footballer Bra to e out 1990 before he took his own life eight years later, aged 37 Hzlsperger, who was pped 52 tim by his untry, said he had nsired g out while playg for German si Wolfsburg 2011-12, but had been warned not had said that he had only realised ‘ the past few years’ that he would ‘prefer to live together wh another man’, and 2007 had been due to marry his childhood sweetheart Inga Totzer, only for the pair to break up a month before their footballer said team-mat eventually stopped askg about his lack of a girliend, and that he had not had to lie about his he said that he had found the cisn to make his sexualy public had been a difficult one to make, and add that he had the 'total support' of his fay.

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

'However, Hzlsperger, who also played for VfB Stuttgart and Laz, said that the scriptn of his as urageo, though nice to hear, was part of the problem facg the taboo around homosexualy sport. I scerely hope that we'll see the day when nobody mentns urage the circumstanc anymore, bee will be seen as totally normal that a sports person will speak about his homosexualy, the way others talk about their wiv and girliends. Fans of Dortmund prott agast homophobia durg the Bunsliga match between Bossia Dortmund and Etracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park on April 15, 2017 Dortmund, Germany.

20 INSPIRG GAY AND LBIAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) PLAYERS

When former German ternatnal and current head of sport at VfB Stuttgart Thomas Hzlsperger me out as gay January 2014, he said he believed was a good time to do so. Hez Bonn, who played for Hamburger SV the Bunsliga, Germany’s top divisn, between 1970 and 1973, was the first German male footballer known to be gay.

In 1997, Marc Urban told his iends, fay and clost teammat at FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt about his homosexualy, but he did not go public for another , after he had retired.

Homophobia remas a ser problem German football: large cross sectns of players, staff, erng bodi and supporters have created an unhealthy environment to be an openly-homosexual male footballer. The effect homophobia n have is highlighted by the se of English football player Jt Fashanu, who suffered homophobic abe after beg the first openly gay profsnal footballer October 1990. He was targeted wh both homophobic and racist abe, and he was the victim of what he ntted was a false allegatn of sexual asslt by a 17-year-old March 1998.