Adelaide United footballer, Josh Cavallo, came out as gay last week, becoming the only current male professional footballer to be openly gay.
The 21-year-old announced in a powerfully emotional video posted to Adelaide United’s Twitter account:
“I am Josh Cavallo, I am a footballer, and I am proud to be gay.”
In an environment that has long been hostile to LGBT+ players, Cavallo’s bravery has offered a small ray of hope for the future of those players still pressured into hiding their sexuality.
His admission that he worried he would never be able to do what he loves and be gay is not surprising given the environment gay male professional footballers find themselves in.
Male professional football is a hyper-masculinised, chauvinistic environment where on-field homophobic abuse continues to exist from both players and fans.
Hyper-sexualised fan chants, which often cross the line to homophobia create a culture that means being openly gay is a daunting challenge for many players.
Indeed, Hungarian fans are currently under investigation for displaying a homophobic banner during the Euro 2020 match between Hungary and Portugal.
This incident preceded the controversy of UEFA disallowing an application to light up the Allianz Arena in rainbow colours during a match against Hungary in the 2021 tournament.
UEFA cited that it was a politically and religiously neutral organisation in its reasoning for the decision – a stance that makes sexuality a political issue rather than a personal one.
Football governing bodies’ continued tolerance of nations with anti-LGTBQ+ agendas allows for a homophobic environment in world football.
Hosting consecutive World Cup’s in Russia and Qatar has only deepened the culture in which gay and bisexual athletes are expected to keep quiet regarding their sexuality.
In Cavallo’s announcement, the exhaustion on his face was clear to see when he said he was:
“tired, trying to perform at the best of your ability and live this double life.”
It is clear to see how male players are coerced into living a double life rather than being who they are.
But despite this culture of hostility, Cavallo’s announcement offers hope.
He stressed in his video that the response he received upon coming out as gay to his teammates and coaches has been immense, and he felt that he had earned more respect from people.
If individuals can stand up to a culture that forces players to hide their true selves, then perhaps football can move towards an environment that fosters equality and respect rather than intolerance and aggression.