Latest news
News FREE to Sign Up!! Do it now and play Victor Predictor for FREE this Season!!
Victor’s Blog
Gay Footballer's ????
Written by Kj talk | 16th August 2006 | 6 Comment(s)
I submit this article with a tinge of trepidation for fear of misinterpretation but I hope my tent of children of many hues and their smiling mother's bear testimony to papa's predilections.
Their has become topic of conversation amongst football fans fuelled by tabloid innuendo that years ago, right up until the 1990's and maybe even further would have been the end of any players career.
Indeed their has been a whispering campaign throughout the tabloids for quite a while and in recent times one of the Sunday red tops got its fingers burnt with its inaccurate reporting and was forced by the players lawyers into making a public apology.
It's been in every walk of life over the centuries and some of the bravest and most talented people have certainly been this. It does exist in other sports and in some cases
the person in question has acknowledged the fact and continued to thrive in their chosen sport. Although curiously I note, this has applied mainly to women and not so much in team events.
What do I speak of? Something that has became widely accepted in the public world at large and must have existed for some over the past century of football, all be it behind closed doors.
Let me say it, the first footballer proven and admitting to being gay! I write this after talking to a colleague who mentioned some players in the Premiership as being gay and spoke with such authority I thought he must represent these players in some fashion. Of course he does not and was merely passing on his wild and frivolous speculations but it did get me thinking.
What would it mean to me if a player from the team I support was "outed" as being gay? And as this column intends to be opinionated and forthright I can say without any hesitation "Absolutely nothing, I could not give a damn"
What anybody does, with whoever in the comfort of his of her own home is of no concern to me so long as the other party is of age and is a willing participant. The vital factor is for the player who represents my team, continues to give one hundred percent on the pitch and strive for the collective good of the team.
It would matter to me far more to see a player from my team miss a vital penalty in a crucial game and cost the team a chance of glory than anything else. So long as the player remained dedicated and disciplined in staying athletic and strong and nothing in his private life hindered his playing standards.
I do believe one day a player will be put in a position where he has to publicly reveal his sexuality and then we shall see what the football world makes of it. Although it would be I believe an uncomfortable period of time for the player, nothing like what was rumoured (Yes more Rumours) to have occurred with the late and legendry Brian Clough.
When in dispute with his one time record signing Justin Fashanu and finding out that the player was homosexual he had the player escorted away from the training ground by two uniformed police officers! Whether this is true or not I do not know but it gives a little insight into the old football attitudes from one of its greats and the person telling the story.
Legally I don't think that would be allowed to happen these days and with a newer breed of corporate supporter and more women following teams perhaps there would be more of an acceptance of the situation.
In fact after the initial ballyhoo and press frenzy the issue would probably settle down and a few more irons would come out of the fire so to speak. Then one of the leading men's cosmetic firms would pour money upon the player for a product endorsement campaign and the strongest marketing teams would tap into the pink pound.
If it ever does happen, particularly if a player willingly told the watching world it will be a bravery combined with an historic landmark in footballs time line. Numbers, Screw in studs, shorts above the knee the first substitute allowed and the first openly gay player.
After all football's leading pinup all ready has the pink approval and the frequenters of Old Compton St in London's Soho already has a picture in his Sarong upon their walls!
Sign up to play Victor Predictor now!
Comments
Comment by Irish on Friday 18 August 2006 @ 3:18pm
Comment by anon on Friday 18 August 2006 @ 2:01pm
john o'shea
Comment by Your name here on Friday 18 August 2006 @ 1:33am
yeah dead on anon. Thats a fact. idiot
Comment by Your name here on Thursday 17 August 2006 @ 8:50pm
Your thoughts
Comment by Your name here on Wednesday 16 August 2006 @ 6:33pm
Does that mean the Swede can now be pursued around Hampstead Heath at 3 o'clock in the morning by Sol or Roberto di Matteo ?
Comment by anon on Wednesday 16 August 2006 @ 5:54pm
i'm not sure if they are still together but i know for a fact that freddy lungberg's BOYFRIEND went to uni in canterbury
ur rite. its 2006 if ur gay/str8/bi in to animals who cares it ur life and u live it. and a gay striker might know how to work in a tight area better tahn a sta8 one !