Gay footballer was legally advised not to e out, says R Ferdand

Contents:

• SHOCKG STATISTICS ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA FOOTBALL REVEALED BY GAY TIMES AND PADDY POWER
• GAY FOOTBALLER EXPLAS WHY PREMIER LEAGUE STARS AREN’T G OUT - EXCLUSIVE
• GRAEME SOUNS EXPLAS WHY THERE ARE NO OPENLY GAY FOOTBALLERS THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND REVEALS TNAL VIS TO BRIGHTON PRI PARA
• DPE S BT TENTNS, FOOTBALL REMAS UNWELG OF GAY FANS
• JAKE DANIELS: BLACKPOOL FORWARD BE UK'S FIRST ACTIVE MALE PROFSNAL FOOTBALLER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• FOOTBALLER OLIVIER GIROUD SAYS ’S “IMPOSSIBLE” FOR PLAYERS TO BE OPENLY GAY
• GAY FOOTBALLER WAS LEGALLY ADVISED NOT TO E OUT, SAYS R FERDAND

SHOCKG STATISTICS ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA FOOTBALL REVEALED BY GAY TIMES AND PADDY POWER

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.Daniels ma his senr but for the club only this month, but the 17-year-old says he is ready to act as a role mol for others the game after cidg “the time is right to be myself, be ee and be nfint” his inty.“Now is the time to do ,” he said. 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 game.Last 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 football.In 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, 1998.Amal 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”.“If my Uncle Jt were alive I know he would have been one of the first people to have ntacted Jake to offer his support and bt wish,” she said. As part of Paddy Power’s iative to kick out homophobia football, they joed forc wh here at GAY TIMES to rry out their most thorative survey yet to attus towards LGBTQ issu the sport.

After speakg wh 1, 010 heterosexual football fans across the untry, the YouGov survey revealed that homophobia wh the sport is still rampant. Although 80% of fans said they would be unfortable hearg homophobic abe at a match, around 30% admted they would feel fortable seeg two men kissg durg a game.

GAY FOOTBALLER EXPLAS WHY PREMIER LEAGUE STARS AREN’T G OUT - EXCLUSIVE

36% thought homophobia football was “not an issue”. One three heterosexual fans (37%) oped that the game is beg a safer space for players to e out as LGBTQ, although there are currently no openly gay or bisexual male players the Premier League. 63% said they wouldn’t feel fortable nontg someone for g homophobic abe.

69% felt that the Football Associatn should be dog more to prevent homophobia the game UK, and 55% wanted their team to crease s support for LGBTQ+ rights for players.

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

Tag Warner, CEO at GAY TIMES, said: “Recent years have seen real and meangful progrs tacklg discrimatn towards the LGBTQ+ muny among football fans – but our rearch shows there remas signifint work to be done. “So while football fans make the right nois by sayg homophobic abe has no place the morn game and strs that they would like to see more out LGBTQ+ figur, ’s prsg to see that a third would fd two men kissg a problem while the same proportn believe homophobia is not an issue.

“Wh Paddy Power we’re mted to rootg out and kickg out homophobia wherever ’s loted. A spokperson for Paddy Power said: “We e om a privileged posn and have tried to make ser efforts to tackle homophobia football for several years. England’s first ever gay football referee, Ryan Atk, said: “But we are also a place now where if an dividual chose to e out, he would probably get the biggt amount of support.

DPE S BT TENTNS, FOOTBALL REMAS UNWELG OF GAY FANS

Related: US football star Megan Rapoe: “You n’t w whout gay players.

EXCLUSIVE: Coll Mart has opened up on the barriers that may be stoppg gay players the Premier League om publicly g out. 07:30, Mon, Dec 26, 2022 | UPDATED: 19:29, Mon, Dec 26, 2022 Premier League returns: Arsenal's mid-season reviewSan Diego Loyal midfielr Coll Mart believ that a number of prsg factors may be preventg gay Premier League players om g out and feelg fortable about beg themselv the public eye. There are currently no openly gay players England's top flight, although Blackpool youngster Jake Daniels beme the first male profsnal footballer the UK sce Jt Fashanu to e out back of progrs has been ma regardg homosexualy football over the last few years, but the subject remas somewhat taboo and there is still work to be done orr to ntue breakg down the stigma at all levels om the Premier League down to grassroots.

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

Mart, who me out as gay back 2018, believ that almost anythg n ntribute to players not wantg to publicly reveal their sexuali, cludg their fay suatns, the advice given by their reprentativ or negative attus om team-mat and ach. JUST IN: Chelsea target Yosoufa Mooko issu fur rponse to 'li'Coll Mart has opened up on the barriers preventg gay players om g out (Image: GETTY)"We don’t always know the factors for gay athlet, what’s gog to keep them the closet or not. Or uld be team-mat and people at the club, wh homophobia and thgs people say.

More There are no openly gay players the Premier League as thgs stand (Image: EXPRESS)"Yeah, I’m sure [there are], maybe there are players who are qutng their sexualy or who are maybe bisexual and yeah, I’m sure there are closeted players, " add Mart. "Coll Mart, San Diego Loyal soccer player, who me out as gay 2018, has partnered wh BonFr and LGBT HERO to unrstand reprentatn and attus towards the LGBTQIA+ muny US profsnal team sports. 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.

FOOTBALLER OLIVIER GIROUD SAYS ’S “IMPOSSIBLE” FOR PLAYERS TO BE OPENLY GAY

"There mt be gay and bisexual players the Premier League but nobody has felt nfint enough to say 'this is me'. The European Cup-wng midfielr ma his name playg the 70s and 80s, s durg which racism and homophobia were rife. "I e om a generatn where was extremely homophobic, the banter our drsg room.

In a meetg discsg the Onle Safety Bill, which aims to tablish a new amework to tackle onle abe, former England footballer R Ferdand told the mtee of MPs and peers about a nversatn he had wh a gay footballer. There are currently no open members of the LGBTQ+ muny playg English men's football, meang that the prs verage for the first openly gay footballer of the prent England would be immense. Any player g out as a member of the LGBTQ+ muny as a male footballer England would mean beg the first the morn game and beg the current face of gay footballers – a posn that would be highly sctised wh English football.

2% of the UK populatn intified as eher homosexual or bisexual, wh another 0. 6% claimg that they were neher heterosexual, homosexual nor bisexual. In an episo of Louis Theroux's podst “Ground, ” released June of 2020, Theroux addrsed the issue of homosexualy sport to former Watford Capta Troy Deeney.

GAY FOOTBALLER WAS LEGALLY ADVISED NOT TO E OUT, SAYS R FERDAND

Theroux asked, “Where are all the gay footballers? Deeney went as far as to ment, “I would go on rerd and probably say there's probably one gay or bi person every football team.

Dpe the footballg world undoubtedly havg gay members, g out openly is a ighteng prospect given the prent culture wh English football. Manager Brian Clough went as far as to ban Fashanu om trag when news of his homosexualy was revealed.

Fashanu would e out as openly gay 1990 and received swath of abe om fans.