Ella Gilbert
Josh Cavallo, footballer for Adelaide United, revealed on social media today that he is gay. This makes him currently the only openly gay player in a top-level, professional male football team.
The 21 year-old chose to share his sexuality with the world through an emotional video with Sky Sports News and a statement on Twitter.
— Josh Cavallo (@JoshuaCavallo) October 27, 2021
LGBTQ+ Representation in Football
Cavallo said he’d been “fighting with his sexuality for over 6 years” before he decided to share it with the world. Football is a sport notorious for its toxic masculinity and inclusivity issues – so the concerns from LGBTQ+ players are understandable. There has only been one other player to come out whilst still playing professionally, Justin Fashanu, which, considering the sport’s popularity, is concerning.
Many players feel unsafe to come out or are advised against doing so for fear of damaging their career. Some players have come out after retirement from the sport but even with that included, it would mean football is somewhat of a statistical anomaly when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community.
Reactions on Social Media
Cavallo has been thanked and praised all over social media for his openness and bravery. The midfielder said he was “overwhelmed” by how much support he’d received. These positive social media reactions could signify the beginning of a new and more inclusive era of football.
Hey @JoshuaCavallo, I don’t have the pleasure to know you personally but I want to thank you for this step that you take. The world of football is far behind and you are helping us move forward. https://t.co/pe8xdJl15i
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) October 27, 2021
The responses have been overwhelmingly positive but there have unfortunately been some negative responses. Homophobia is concerningly common in sports like Football, which heavily endorse the idea of a macho, straight man.
Football authorities have stepped up their strategies to begin tackling systemic issues of racism in the sport so hopefully this will encourage issues of homophobia in the sport to be addressed as well.
https://twitter.com/EASPORTSFIFA/status/1453391050626805781?s=20
At only 21, Josh Cavallo has become a role model for both fans and other players. By simply being openly himself, he is providing some desperately needed representation in football.
The positive reactions of teams, players and organisations suggest football could be ready to change and finally become a safe space for LGBTQ+ footballers.
Image courtesy of leah hetteberg on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
Ella Gilbert
Ella is History and Spanish student at the University of Sheffield. She is the social media manager for Empoword and a keen writer for various publications. When not writing or studying (which is far more often than she'd like to admit), you can find her exploring the outdoors, going out for drinks with friends, or in bed with Netflix and TikTok.