Aussie soccer player comes out of the closet

Australian footballer Josh Cavallo revealed his homosexuality this Wednesday, October 27, becoming the first active player in his country’s championship (A-League) to do so and generating numerous messages of support around the world.

“I’m a soccer player and I’m gay,” Cavallo, 21, said on social media.

“All I want is to play football and be treated equally,” explained the former Australian international in youth categories.

“Trying to play to the best of your abilities and living a double life is exhausting, it is an experience that I do not wish for anyone,” he admitted.

Few professional footballers have publicly declared their homosexuality and in general they have done so after their retirement to avoid being victims of homophobia from the stadium stands.

The first to do so was Englishman Justin Fashanu in the 1990s, but he committed suicide in 1998 after retiring while living in the United States.

A charitable organization created by his family last year published a letter from an anonymous player in the English Premier League denouncing the little evolution of football on this matter.

That player described his situation as an “absolute nightmare”, adding that he was “afraid to tell the truth” about his personal case and that this “only made things worse.”

Cavallo indicated that Fashanu’s case was on his head when he was evaluating whether to publicly reveal his homosexuality.

“I remember reading about Justin Fashanu as the first professional footballer to reveal his homosexuality in the 1990s and about his suicide eight years later. That made me reflect, ”he said.

The Australian player described as “immense” the support received by his club, Adelaide United, as well as that of his teammates and those responsible for football in Australia.

International footballers and former footballers showed their support for Josh Cavallo