Are there gay football players
Premier League's first openly homosexual footballer weighs in on LGBT controversy after several stars refused to wear rainbow clothing
Thomas Hitzlsperger, the Premier League's first openly gay player, has joint his thoughts on the LGBT pride saga which is engulfing the highest flight after several footballers protested against wearing rainbow armbands and jackets.
The German moved to the Aston Villa youth team in 2001 aged 19 and played 114 times for the west Midlands outfit, scoring 12 goals in a productive spell at the club.
The midfielder then enjoyed a five-year stint at Stuttgart before returning to England for short spells at West Ham and Everton, where he retired in 2013. After he called time on a fine career, Hitzlsperger came out as gay making him the most high-profile footballer to do so.
In the last week, various refusals to wear items of rainbow clothing contain caused chaos in the Premier League with Ipswich captain Sam Morsy deciding not to sport an armband with that pattern, before Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi wrote messages on his.
On Wednesday, devout Muslim Noussair Mazraoui declined to wear a rainbow jacket, forcing Manchester United to ditch plans for the team
Homophobia in football: the views of fans across Europe
Many fans trust anti-gay prejudice is widespread in the men’s game in their home region, and amounts to a serious problem
May 17 marks International Day Against Homophobia, and this year there are reported plans among several male professional football players in Germany to reveal their sexuality on that day.
While some of the players involved are reportedly still ‘hesitant’, should the event come to pass it would be a major moment in international football. There are reportedly only six famous gay professional footballers worldwide, only two of whom play for top-division clubs in their countries.
In 2022 a YouGov UK learn examined perceptions on the issue of homophobia in professional football. Ahead of the expected announcements in Germany, we have now repeated that study in the five largest footballing nations in Europe – Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Our study examines how many fans – and the wider population – see homophobia as a widespread and solemn issue in professional football in their country, how that compares to other forms of discrimination, and how things have changed in the last 10
Homophobia in sport: Most fans 'would welcome gay players' - BBC survey
Last week, Football Association chairman Greg Clarke told MPs he was "cautious" of encouraging a player to come out because they may tolerate "significant abuse" from fans.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 exist on Wednesday, Clarke said he stood by his "personal view" that "vile abuse" from a "small minority on the terraces" must be solved before any gay footballers "take that risk" to come out.
"If they want to take that chance I would respect them and sustain them," said Clarke. "But we can't promise to provide them at the moment with the required protection. We need to redouble our efforts to provide that reliable space."
Clarke added that he hoped to achieve that in a "year or two".
In an online survey of more than 4,000 people - 2,896 of whom were sports fans - commissioned by Afternoon Edition and carried out by ComRes, 71% of football fans said clubs should do more to educate fans about homophobia.
And 47% of all sports fans - 50% of football supporters - say they possess heard homophobic maltreatment at matches.
Form
Group coming out of gay football players: Will it happen?
What is Sports Free?
Sports Free is an initiative that advocates for greater awareness and acceptance of queer athletes in professional sports. The initiative was started by Diversero, a global community that advocates for diversity and against bullying. Marcus Urban is the co-founder of the organization.
Who is Marcus Urban?
In 2007, Urban became Germany's first former football player to arrive out as queer . Born in 1971 in the former East Germany (GDR), Urban was one of the most talented young footballers in the communist state. As a midfielder for Rot-Weiss Erfurt he played in the top youth leagues and represented the GDR at various youth levels.
He almost turned professional in the early 1990s, but decided against the career move, deciding that the pressure of being a professional football player while having to hide his homosexuality would be too much for him.
What is planned?
Diversero is planning to host a platform on Friday, May 17, the International Morning Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), for professional footballers to jointly declare to the world their homosexuality or q
Future of Football: Will we see the Premier League's first out gay footballer in the next 10 to 20 years?
In the UK, LGBTQ+ rights possess come a long way in a relatively brief space of time.
It was only in 1967 that homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed in 1981 and 1982 - just over 40 years ago.
Since then, we have seen openly lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people in most areas of public life.
British sport has a range of Homosexual representation across the overall spectrum. Some of the most visible members of the community include Olympian Tom Daley, boxer Nicola Adams and former Wales international rugby player Gareth Thomas.
But football continues to provide a paradox, as do several other team sports such as rugby and cricket.
In women's sport, LGBTQ+ people are widely embraced and celebrated. Inclusion is woven into the fabric of what makes these sports special.
In football, for example, there hold been close to 100 players taking part in the Women's World Cup in Australia and Recent Zealand who are publicly out. That group includes Canada international Quinn, who is the first openly trans non-binary pers