Jake Daniels, who is the English footballer who came out

Jake Daniels is 17, plays in the second division of the English league and is the only active male professional footballer in the UK to be openly homosexual. It can be said without fear of denial that it is one of the very few in the world.

The attacker of the Blackpool he said to Sky News, on the eve of the international day against homophobia: «I want to be just myself. I was sick of constantly telling lies and being false, as I have been for years ”.

Like many footballers, he had thought of revealing his homosexuality after his career was over. Instead he chose to speak on the day before international day againsthomotransphobia. «For a long time I thought of hiding and concealing the truth, because I wanted to become a professional footballer and so far no one was openly gay. But I couldn’t go on like this, above all I felt I didn’t have what I really wanted. Now I feel enormous relief ».

These are words very similar to those pronounced by Tom Daley, the Olympic diving champion, talking about his coming out. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also intervened to support the boy signed by Blackpool after his 30 goals in the Under 19 team: “Thank you for your courage.”

“Family, friends and teammates have shown me all their love and support,” said Daniels. “I’ve never been worried. Indeed, many Blackpool players have asked me: “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

There is only one precedent of coming out in English football for those who are in business, that of Justin Fashanu. The first player ever to declare himself gay took his life in 1998 in London when he was 37. For him also an accusation, always rejected, of harassment by a 17-year-old.

There are very few players who have come out. Two hands are enough to count them, even less if you look at how many have done so still in business. Very few those who have fought at high levels. In Australia the recent case of Josh Cavallo and before him Andy Brennan. He declared the Argentine Nicolás Fernández to be homosexual. In the US there were David Testo and Robbie Rogers who came out leaving English football and then return to the field with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Rosario Coco, born in 1985, was playing in the third category when he came out with his team mates Roma Ostia Antica. In 2011, in his twenties, Anton Hysen declared his homosexuality, first in Sweden. In 2014 the German midfielder, Thomas Hitzlspergerwho also played for Lazio, came out but a year after retiring from his career as an athlete.

The taboo of homosexuality, especially in men’s team sports, remains in the world of sport. It is not the same in women’s team sports and in individual sports for all.