Homosexuality in English football

Against homosexual players

Justin Fashanu, the first black £1 million footballer, was the first footballer to be openly gay. In his autobiography, Brian Clough recounts a dressing down he gave Fashanu after hearing rumours that he was going to gay bars. "'Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?' I asked him. 'A baker's, I suppose.' 'Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?' 'A butcher's.' 'So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs' club?"' Fashanu committed suicide in 1998 after he was questioned by police when a seventeen-year-old boy accused him of sexual assault, and it has been suggested that the tragedy and hostility that struck his life after publicly coming out persuaded other gay footballers that coming out would not be a good idea. The coroner said the prejudices he experienced, plus the sexual assault charge he was facing at the time of his death, probably overwhelmed him.

Against heterosexual players

Graeme Le Saux, an England international left-back, endured homophobic taunts despite being married with children. The rumours allegedly began because of his “unladdish hobbies” which included antique collecting, and his university background. He later admitted he had considered quitting the game because of the abuse and the humiliation he felt. One example of the public abuse he suffered came in a Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool on 27 February 1999, Le Saux became involved in a running series of taunts with Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler. With Le Saux preparing to take a free kick, Fowler repeatedly bent over and pointed his backside in the Chelsea player's direction. Despite the obvious taunts, Le Saux, who refused to take the free kick, was booked for delay of play. Unseen by the match officials, Le Saux later struck Fowler on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area. Both were later charged with misconduct by the FA.

In 2008, Sol Campbell received homophobic abuse from Tottenham Hotspur fans while playing for Portsmouth. Campbell is married, and his brother was jailed for 12 months in 2005 after assaulting a classmate who suggested that the defender was gay. In 2009 a man and a boy were found guilty of shouting homophobic chants at Campbell in a match between Portsmouth and Spurs.

By the press

The News of the World claimed that two Premiership footballers were involved in a gay orgy with a figure in the music industry, allegations repeated in The Sun. Despite being unnamed by the papers, Ashley Cole brought legal action and won apologies and damages from both publications.

After England's exit from the 2006 World Cup, Peter Tatchell complained about the "homophobic smearing" against Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. The Sun described the player as a "nancy boy" and a "pretty boy".

By those in the game

Ex-Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is on record as stating he would have thrown out of the team a player whom he found to be gay. He made the comments during Brazil's 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign.

"I've had players over the years who were single and read books and so others [other players] said they must be gay...I think being openly gay would be something very difficult to live with in football.... You can get drunk and beat up your wife and that's quite acceptable, but if someone were to say 'I'm gay', it's considered awful. It's ridiculous."

Likewise Djibril Cissé, partly in jest, said that he refused to kiss his team-mates after scoring a goal for fear of being thought of as gay.

Public relations mogul Max Clifford claimed that two major clubs had approached him wishing to portray a "straight" image.

In October 2006, England international Rio Ferdinand caused controversy by calling BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles a 'faggot' live on air, just days after team-mate Paul Scholes was also in trouble for an alleged homophobic remark about him being gay with a funny hair do. Moyles jokingly asked Ferdinand: "If you had to, who would you rather go out with – Smudger [Alan Smith] or Scholesy [Paul Scholes]?". Ferdinand replied: "That is not my bag that, that is not my game, talking about going out with geezers" and when Moyles suggested he would always prefer Smith, Ferdinand declared: "You’re a faggot." He quickly apologised for what he had said, stating "I'm not homophobic".

In 2010 the FA planned to shoot a video designed to discourage anti-gay hate-chants on the terraces. Reportedly they were unable find a player from the Premier League willing to endorse the video and production was postponed. Pundits believed that players were scared to associate themselves with homosexuality.

By the FA

In 2005 the Football Association held a summit aimed at tackling homophobia in football. In that same year when the BBC asked all of the twenty Premiership managers their opinions on the issue as part of an investigation, all twenty refused.

In February 2012, the FA released a video showing a discussion on homophobia in English football between former stars Adrian Williams, John Scales, and Brendon Batson. Later in the month following the set up of a new initiative the FA announced that they would support a Premier League player who openly acknowledged being gay.

By clubs

From 2007 onwards, homophobic chanting at football grounds was explicitly outlawed by the FA. Tottenham Hotspur have a system in place to allow fans to report any anti-gay chanting and Manchester City are the first Premiership club to have been recognised by pressure group Stonewall as a gay-friendly employer.

In 2009, a football team was named after openly gay footballer Justin Fashanu. The Justin Fashanu All-stars is open to both homosexual and heterosexual players. Stonewall FC, founded by Aslie Pitter after he faced homophobia while playing on existing teams, is a similar initiative.

In July 2012, Liverpool F.C. have announced their participation in Liverpool Pride. In August of the same year, Liverpool F.C. will become the first Premier League club to officially represented at a UK pride event. LFC staff and LFC Ladies FC will be marching together with LFC LGBT and other supporters and a banner from the club will be present. Liverpool F.C. have also hosted the Football v Homophobia tournament early in 2012.

In 2013, Stonewall in conjunction with Paddy Power, launched the 'Right Behind Gay Footballers' campaign, distributing rainbow coloured laces to every professional football player in the UK. Only 2 players in over 5000 professional football players have 'come out' as openly gay, a scenario which has odds of over 1million to 1.The aim of the campaign was to ask players to show support for gay football players and to 'kickstart a fundamental change in attitude.' Players from 52 different clubs wore the laces to show support for gay players and the campaign received over 320 million Twitter impressions, making it the one of the most successful Twitter campaigns in the UK to date.

In 2014, Stonewall teamed up with Paddy Power again, in addition to Metro and the Premier League to lead the second year on the 'RIght Behind Gay Footballers' campaign.

In 2015, Ryman Premier Division team, Dulwich Hamlet, are set to host a friendly against Stonewall FC, the Gay World Champions, on Wednesday 11 February (KO – 7.30pm). The match coincides with Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month, which takes place throughout February. It also forms part of Dulwich Hamlet’s ongoing anti-homophobia campaign.

By fans

One survey by Staffordshire University showed that more than 90% of football fans would not hold any hostility to a footballer coming out, and suggested that most fans would stand by a gay player who played for their club. The survey showed that most fans expected there would be an openly gay footballer by 2015, and that this would be good for improving the attitude towards homosexuality in the sport.

By players

Heterosexual Swedish international and former Arsenal and West Ham United midfielder Freddie Ljungberg endured questions over his sexuality "due to his bachelor lifestyle and love of musicals and fashion". Despite denying the speculation, he told the New York Times that "I don’t mind at all. I am proud of that. I love fashion, and I think so many gay people have amazing style. So that is a compliment to me."

The Guardian's Secret Footballer columnist said that a gay player would be accepted in a typical dressing room, and instead said that the worry for any would-be gay player would be the abuse from the terraces.

Women's football

English Football Hall of Fame inductee Lily Parr was openly lesbian at a time when female homosexuality, whilst (unlike male homosexuality) not illegal, was very much a taboo in British society. In August, 2010, England coach Hope Powell was named in 68th place on The Independent newspaper’s Pink List of influential lesbian and gay people in the UK.

Coming out of the closet

Arguments have been made for and against a gay player to come out publicly.

Staying in

Figures such as agent Max Clifford have advised gay players to keep their sexuality a secret for the sake of their careers, saying that to be openly gay would potentially damage their playing prospects. This would also apply abroad, where even if accepted in England a gay player might face a new barrier if he wished to play in a country less accepting of homosexuality. Coming out would undoubtedly bring a gay player abuse from the terraces, and perhaps elsewhere too; this would affect some players more than others.

"It's a very sad state of affairs. But it's a fact that homophobia in football is as strong now as it was 10 years ago. If you'd asked me in 2000 whether I thought we'd have a famous, openly gay footballer by 2010 I would have said yes.

The reaction to Justin Fashanu after he publicly came out may set a worrying precedent for those considering whether to publicly announce their sexuality.

"Would a player mind if he found out a team-mate was gay? Probably. Players wouldn’t want to be left alone with him, they wouldn’t want to shower with him. Before you rush to criticise, would you find it acceptable for a man to walk around a women’s dressing-room? More importantly, team-mates would be self-conscious around the player. The sexual banter would develop an uncomfortable edge if it continued. It is an undesirable scenario for a manager, since an uneasy and divided squad is not a recipe for success. A gay player himself would probably feel equally ill-at-ease. Dressing-rooms are like perverted nudist camps. Immature, wild places, little self-contained states where the normal rules of common decency and acceptable behaviour do not apply. Sexual activity and bodily functions are props players use for pranks and banter."

Coming out

"You hate to see homophobia out there, and you don't want to hear it or have it in the clubs, but if there are any gay players they should just come out. That may sound heartless, and I am sure if you are gay there are all sorts of fears and worries, but I do think football can probably cope with it."

Preston North End goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard said that "homosexuals are in need of a [footballing] hero".