On February 19, 1961, he was born in London. Justin Fashan. At 29 years old, when he played for Norwich City and was a renowned footballer, the English newspaper The Sun posted a photo of himself along with the caption, “I’m gay.” In this way, Fashanu became the first first division soccer player to openly say in the media that he was homosexual. Until then, Fashanu had been discriminated against and mistreated for being black. After that publication, he also began to be insulted and violated as gay. He went through more than ten clubs in just seven years. In 1998, he was charged with sexual abuse of a minor while playing in Australia. The complaint was later presented as false. The media didn’t talk about that but that he was gay. Shortly after that same year, Fashanu committed suicide. Since 2010, the sports world decided to pay tribute to his life and his fight, marking the date of his birth as the Day against Homophobia in sports. Something that over the years and the militancies and the discussions became the Day against Homo-Lesbo-Bi-Trans Hate.
It is 2022 and although it seems demode Or vintage to say it, the truth is that there are currently no references in the world of first division football who openly assume their homosexuality. Silence echoes inside and outside the courts. Although there are many athletes from other disciplines who have done it, but what happens in professional football? Yes, of course there are some who today raise the flag of pride but few speak in the first person.
One of them was Josh Cavallo, a midfielder for Adelaide United in Australia, who last year decided to leave behind all the taboos that are present in the world of football and publicly said he is gay.
What is the context of the vindication of this fight in the world of football? We are a few months away from the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and, last year, Nasser Al-Khater, president of the organizing committee, confirmed that “homosexuality is not allowed” in the country. He clarified that the fans of the LGTBIQ + collective “will have the right to travel to the country and attend the matches”, however, he emphasized that “public displays of affection are frowned upon and this applies to everyone”.
Year after year, sports clubs and institutions have begun to support and promote the recognition of this day. Over time, non-governmental organizations and international sports organizations have been added. This year, the Camp Nou was visited today in the colors of pride; For its part, San Lorenzo carried out a network campaign; The Argentine Football Association ordered that all the teams that went out on the field today did so with allusive posters. These actions and positioning decisions speak of the importance of making this struggle visible today.
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