czech footballer Jakub Jankto, who belongs to Getafe, announced this Monday that he is gay. “I am homosexual and I do not want to hide anymore,” he said through a video that he has published on his social networks. The 27-year-old winger, who is playing on loan at Sparta Prague, becomes the first player in the Spanish league to openly declare his homosexuality, a subject that has always been taboo in the world of professional men’s football. .
Jantko bravely opened up to express his condition and put an end to his fears. “Like everyone else, I have strengths, I have weaknesses, I have a family, I have friends, I have a job in which I have done the best I could for years, with seriousness, professionalism and passion. Like everyone else, I too want to live my life in freedom. Without fear, without prejudice, without violence, but with love, ”said the footballer, who created a Twitter account just to publish the video in which he announced his homosexuality.
Jankto’s announcement has generated a significant wave of support from the world of football. The club in which he currently competes, Sparta Prague, revealed that the player had already spoken about his sexual orientation with the board of directors, the coach and his teammates some time ago and that everything else is part of the personal life of he. “No more comments. No more questions. You have our support. Live your life, Jakub”, concluded the Czech club.
For its part, Getafe, which still has the rights to the Czech, also joined the messages of support: “Our utmost respect and unconditional support for our footballer Jakub Jankto.” From the Getafense club they define Jankto as “a very correct and charming boy, but he did not fit in sportingly”. He only played 15 games before going on loan this summer, but he showed that his concerns went far beyond sports. “He is an artist, he likes to draw graffiti and he visited many museums. He is a very culturally formed boy, he spoke several languages. He liked to know the cities where he plays, but not only the most modern clothing stores, also because he is very
He arrived at Getafe in August 2021 for six million euros after developing his entire career in Italian football (Sampdoria, Udinese and Ascoli). International on more than 40 occasions with the Czech Republic and with a market value ceiling of 15 million euros (according to the specialized website Transfermarkt), last summer he returned to his country where he has been a regular starter at Sparta Prague until that an injury has kept him away from the pitch since October.
The step forward taken by Jantko has been supported by all of European football. The displays of respect and affection have been many. Both the official Twitter profile of LaLiga and that of the English Premier League responded to his announcement with the message “football belongs to everyone”, while UEFA has defined him as “a true inspiration who has the support of the entire European football”. Clubs like Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich or Ajax have also expressed their affection for him. As they say in Getafe, “here what is looked at is sports performance, not the sexual condition of people or the color of their skin.” {
Other cases in the world of football
You have to go back to 1990 to find the first statement of its kind by an active footballer, Justin Fashanu, and another would not occur until October 2021, when Joshua Cavallo, Australian midfielder for Adelaide United, spoke out. In May of last year, Jake Daniels, 18, became the first active European professional footballer to come out as gay since Fashuano. “I’ve known he was gay all my life, but now I feel like I’m ready to say it and be myself. I don’t want to lie anymore, it’s suffering,” Daniels said then.
Previously, Fashanu, who played for teams like Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, had to endure rejection from his former teammates when 23 years ago, at the age of 29, he revealed his homosexuality in an interview with the tabloid the sun. His career took a nosedive and he no longer moved up from lower-tier teams. His sister called him an outcast. He left. He was accused of sexual abuse. And he ended up committing suicide at the age of 37. Between one announcement and another there was that of Olivier Rouyer in 2008. The French striker came out of the closet years after retiring as a player and after finishing his career as a coach.
In 2021, Australian Cavallo came out as gay when he was 21 years old. The winger received a wave of support through social networks and was pointed out as a source of inspiration by other young people. However, his reality is still exceptional in the world of football. The player did not attend the recent World Cup in Qatar for fear of rejection of gays in the Arab country.
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