A gay footballer?

The fight to combat discrimination in British football has made impressive inroads over the past twenty years. In the 1970s and 1980s, black footballers were ritually taunted by the crowds with malicious and demeaning attacks. The audible echoes of monkey chants and communal throwing of bananas on the pitch were common features of league matches. The former Crystal Palace manager Ron Noades once commented that black players were needed for their “skill and flair” but white players were needed as they brought “brains and common sense” to a team. Yet British football has moved on and the national side has done much to promote the anti-racism message. In fact, when England players have suffered abuse in Europe, it came to deem racism as unpatriotic and something we no longer did. British football is aware of its ugly history and cherishes how far the game has moved on. The high profile cases of Chelsea captain John Terry and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, though shameful, highlights how infrequent these events are.

There are still instances of hate crime on the terraces, but many songs by fans are jovial. Welsh sides are besieged by chants of sodomising sheep, whilst Manchester United fans lionise their South Korean midfielder Ji-Sung Park with the song:

“Park, Park, wherever you may be, you eat dogs in your home country. You could be worse; you could be Scouse, eating rats in your council house!” – (Music – Lord of the Dance)

It does ask a question, that as the Premier League has become more cosmopolitan and diverse, both players and fans, why no footballer has yet to come out as gay.

There are believed to be around half a million professional footballers in the world and of them, only one has officially declared his homosexuality. Be it, Anton Hysen, an obscure Swedish player .Yet, the remainder stay quiet. Why?

In a recent study of fans, 90 per cent said that sexuality is irrelevant. What mattered to them was the performance on the pitch. There are examples of other sportsmen who have ‘come out’ and it appears not to have affected them. The England cricketer Steve Davies, Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas and the former NBA player John Amaechi, all announced their sexuality. Similarly to football, basketball had no openly gay athletes so Amaechi, who decided to publish it through his autobiography, generated interest from the America media and from many of his fellow professionals.

Perhaps the legacy of England’s only gay footballer still haunts such players. Justin Fashanu, Britain’s first black £1 million player, voluntarily announced his homosexuality to The Sun in 1990; though many feel he was forced into it. It was apparently well known by his fellow professionals and his disapproving manager at Nottingham Forest, Brian Clough. Fashanu committed suicide in 1997 after allegations of sexual indecency in the US, though many believe the abuse he suffered during his playing days was a contributory factor.

Graeme Le Saux, the former Chelsea and England defender, endured years of homophobic taunting from fans and players, even though he wasn’t gay. On one occasion the Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler made a sexual suggestion to him on the pitch. Le Saux believed he got stick because he read The Guardian. From Le Saux’s account it emerges that ‘homophobic banter’ is widespread in the dressing rooms. Reaction to John Amaechi’s announcement was met with different responses in the NBA. Tim Hardaway said that he would want the player removed from his team. Charles Barkley didn’t see it as an issue. Whereas, Steven Hunter didn’t mind, as long as he didn’t make any advances.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has launched a new campaign to highlight homosexuality in football, but it was only in 2010 when a similar scheme was withdrawn at the last minute. Agents and publicists have apparently advised footballers to refrain from outing themselves as it could have an adverse impact on their playing and marketing capabilities. To them football is still in the dark ages.

Historically, football evolved from the Victorian era as a tool for sexual restraint. Unlike rugby, where touching is part of the game, football represented a code of masculinity. Weakness was a sign of effeminacy. Hence, when footballers are called ‘poofs’ it is more subjective at a person’s weakness rather than their sexuality. Yet, this mentality has encroached throughout the whole sport. England defenders Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell are still ridiculed by opposition fans by stories that cannot be corroborated.

The fear from the terrace and the dressing room appear to be the stumbling block. Though, like the racism campaign, it will be interesting what happens on the day someone comes out.