This week in light of the broadcast of ‘Britains gay
footballers’, available to watch on Iplayer, I am going to discuss why none of
the 5,000 professional footballers in our leagues have felt comfortable enough
to declare their sexuality for fear of being examined.
Like most taboo things in life, those brave enough to
declare their interest in said things are subject to scrutiny and an
uncomfortable cocktail of opinion and judgement will inevitably ensue. The size
of such a cocktail is multiplied to the power of a number that equates to the
enormous spotlight that shines brightly on the lives of professional sports
personnel.
The only man brave enough to declare that he was gay and in
the process take on all the obstacles that stood in his way and try and
shoulder the expected amount of abuse was Justin Fashanu. Justin’s situation
was a perfect storm for abuse, which made the openness with which he declared
his sexuality perhaps more daring rather than courageous. Being black was
described as being ‘hard enough’ at that time and after becoming the first
‘black one million pound player’ there was the added pressure to repay the club
for such a large price tag. Not only would he be subject to disgusting chants
from opposing fans but would also come under scrutiny from his own fans and
manager as he failed to produce performances worthy of his price tag.
Unfortunately after being accused of sexually assaulting a 17 year old boy in
America he fled back to England where he committed suicide, suggesting in his
suicide note that he had felt completely alone.
Although Justin’s situation was unique, the legacy that it
has left in football is one that would frighten the ‘gay’ right out of a football
player, or at least the idea of openly admitting to it. John Fashanu, the
younger brother of Justin, joked that there would be more chance of the next
pope being black than a footballer coming out as gay. I feel that this is an
ancient view that is perhaps shared by the rather aged central processing unit
at the FA. At the top of its hierarchy, British football has failed to feint
past the issues of women in football and racism, what is there to suggest
homophobia is another they cannot get past?
Despite attempting to market an anti-homophobia campaign,
the FA was unable to get a single Premier League player or manager to support
their campaign. Their advert, which was pulled, was criticised for being
offensive rather than effective. Since then the governing body has failed to
create a safe environment within which the minority of gay footballers feel
safe to come out in. I can only imagine that withholding such a secret can be a
lonely affair and thus the advice a player would seek could be crucial in
determining whether they may feel able to speak out. It seems that many gay
players would feel their careers would be over, affecting their reputation,
their future earnings and their performances on the pitch. The Justin
Foundation is one campaign that is attempting to challenge the stereotypes and
misconceptions that exist around gay people and work towards a future where
they are accepted and celebrated in football.
One thing that I do think has changed is the attitude
towards homosexuality amongst the managers and players themselves. Being part
of a dressing room myself I am all too familiar with the banter that flies
around and I am certain that if someone were to ‘come out’ they would be far
more likely to be at the epicentre of the humour rather than be discriminated
against. It is the support of the players, the manager and the club that would
make a player feel comfortable enough to express his feelings. Today a player
is not targeted by his home fans for the colour of his skin, his nationality or
his sexuality, but solely for his performance. Players have been targeted by
the opposition support for all sorts of reasons, a tradition that will continue
to occur; the point being, announcing you are gay will bring with it the same
foul chants that have lived in football for decades.
I feel that in the near future, one player with be blessed
with the perfect storm of conditions that will allow them to express their sexuality
freely, from which others will have the courage to stand up and be heard. In
fact it is perhaps far more likely that a retired player will come out before a
current player. For now, nobody wants to take that leap, perhaps content with
how their life is going. After all why would you want to jeopardise your career
and reputation? Unfortunately football will never be just about what you can do
on the pitch but I have faith that someone will feel comfortable enough to
break down the stigmatic wall that surrounds homosexuality in football.
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