Gay Premier League footballer ‘very likely’ to come out next year, says Justin Fashanu’s niece
A Premier League footballer is “very likely” to announce he is gay next year, Justin Fashanu’s niece has said, after the foundation dedicated to her uncle counselled two top flight players who are yet to come out publicly.
Amal Fashanu, whose uncle was Britain’s first and only openly gay male professional footballer, told Sky News the Justin Fashanu Foundation is offering support to the players and wants to avoid a “sensationalist story”.
Amal Fashanu founded the Justin Fashanu Foundation in honour of her uncle
“It’s about figuring out their mental state… and if they are suffering, that they have a place to talk,” Ms Fashanu said of the footballers.
“The more comfortable they feel, it gives me hope they will be closer to coming out.
“I can’t promise that’s going to happen because it’s their decision.”
Ms Fashanu, whose uncle took his own life in 1998, said the recent decision of Josh Cavallo to reveal his sexuality had shown gay footballers in the UK it is now “a safer place” to come out.
Cavallo, a 21-year-old footballer who plays in Australia’s A League, came out publicly in October, making him the world’s only current openly gay male top-flight professional footballer.
Ms Fashanu said Cavallo had shown footballers coming out “might not be the drama they think it will be”.
“They won’t lose their sponsorship deals, they won’t get rejected by their teammates, the fans won’t abuse them every time they get on the pitch or touch a ball,” she said.
“For Josh coming out, this is what I think it’s helped, essentially.”
She now believes it is “very likely” a gay Premier League footballer will come out in 2022, as players have better awareness of the importance of mental health and are “talking about things more openly”.
Ms Fashanu said: “With mental health, it’s impressive that footballers are finally coming forward and saying: ‘This is what I have, this is who I am and I want to change it’. That’s a big step.
“The fact we’re stepping forward makes me think in 2022, there will be a footballer who is ready.”
But Ms Fashanu warned that hosting next year’s World Cup in Qatar – where it is illegal to be gay – is “definitely not a positive thing” in the effort to make it easier for players to come out.
She said it was even more troubling as the last World Cup in 2018 was held in Russia which has faced criticism for its treatment of LGBT+ people.
“It’s concerning and it’s stressful because we don’t know what will happen in Qatar,” Ms Fashanu said.
“It feels like they’re not being considerate towards the fact there might be gay players who feel such a level of anxiety they can’t even perform properly.”
Ms Fashanu said there should be “serious conversations” about a country’s record on LGBT+ rights before it is chosen to host a World Cup in the future.
The next World Cup is being in Qatar in December 2022. Pic: AP
“I’m not sure this was taken into consideration for Russia or for Qatar,” she added.
One football supporters’ group has called for England to boycott future World Cups if they are held in countries where it is illegal to be gay after next year’s tournament in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate’s team are aiming to qualify for the event from November 2022 despite concerns about Qatar’s human rights record, including their ban on same-sex relationships.
Homosexual behaviour is illegal in Qatar and could result in a prison sentence.
Qatar also runs Sharia courts where the punishment for Muslim men engaging in same-sex activity could be the death penalty. However, there have been no recorded cases of this happening.
Calling for a potential future boycott, Paul Amann, the founder of Liverpool’s LGBT+ fans group Kop Outs, told Sky News he would be “disgusted” if FIFA announced another World Cup had been awarded to country where being gay is outlawed.
He said: “If another country was awarded (the World Cup) that had an appalling human rights record, we would be campaigning against that.”
An FA spokesman told Sky News it “stands firmly against all forms of discrimination and prejudice and believes that our game is to be enjoyed and participated in by all”.
“We believe football is everybody’s game, and we will continue to do our utmost to use our influence to drive meaningful change so that our game is for all,” he added.
UK
Cardinal Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is ‘intimidating’
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has told Sky News it’s “intimidating” to be one of those responsible for choosing the next pope.
Vincent Nichols is among four UK cardinals in Rome for the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.
Following the funeral, and after nine days of mourning, cardinals from around the world will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to cast their votes, with white smoke announcing to the world when a new pope has been elected.
Cardinal Nichols told Sky’s Anna Botting: “I hope nobody goes into this conclave, as it were, with the sole purpose of wanting to win. I think it’s very important that we go in wanting to listen to each other… It has to be together, trying to sense what God wants next. Not just for the church.”
Becoming emotional, he also said the final message he would like to have given Pope Francis is “thank you”.
The 88-year-old died peacefully on Easter Monday, the Vatican confirmed.
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Pope’s cause of death confirmed .
Heads of state – including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron – have all confirmed their attendance at his funeral, which takes place on Saturday at St Peter’s Square.
Prince William will attend on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has said.
Cardinal Nichols explained that the funeral would be “exactly the same Catholic rite as everyone else – just on a grander scale”.
In a break from tradition, Pope Francis will be the first pope in a century to be interred outside the Vatican – and will instead be laid to rest at his favourite church, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome’s Esquilino neighbourhood.
He will also be buried in just one simple wooden coffin, instead of the traditional three coffins which are usually used for pontiffs.
Born in Crosby near Liverpool, Cardinal Vincent Nichols hoped to be a lorry driver as a child – but as a teenager reportedly felt the calling to join the priesthood while watching Liverpool FC.
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Where will Pope Francis be buried?
As cardinal, he is known for leading the church’s work tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, for which he received the UN Path to Peace Award.
He was criticised by the UK’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which said he “demonstrated a lack of understanding” of the impact of abuse and “seemingly put the reputation of the church first”.
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3D map shows pope’s funeral route
Cardinal Nichols, responding to the findings, previously told Sky News he was “ashamed at what has happened in the context of the Catholic Church” and promised to improve the church’s response.
He has appeared to rule himself out of the running for pope, telling reporters he was “too old, not capable”.
A man who was shot dead by police had called 999 himself, an initial investigation into the death has suggested.
David Joyce was killed by “a single gunshot wound to the abdomen” after officers shot him at close range outside Milton Keynes railway station on 1 April, according to preliminary findings.
The 38-year-old, who lived in the town, was given first aid by officers but died at the scene.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the circumstances leading up to the death and revealed its initial findings.
It said it had established that Mr Joyce was armed with a 12cm steak knife when he “ran at two officers” before being shot by an officer from a Thames Valley Police armed response unit.
The IOPC said police had been alerted to the incident following a 999 call “from a man reporting that ‘there is a man with a gun down at the train station in Milton Keynes'”.
“The call handler rang back after the caller hung up during the call and spoke to the man again who said the man with the gun was acting suspiciously, looked like he was about to do something bad and ‘definitely’ had a gun,” it said in a statement.
“Records show that the mobile phone number used to make the 999 call had been used to call police before and was linked to Mr Joyce.
“CCTV footage shows Mr Joyce making a phone call at a time which matches with when the 999 call to police was made.”
Police at the scene of the incident. Pic: PA
An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned at Milton Keynes Coroners’ Court earlier in April and a full hearing will follow after the IOPC investigation concludes.
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “We again extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of David Joyce and all those affected by this incident. We continue to keep his family informed of our progress.
“Our investigators are working hard to piece together the circumstances leading up to Mr Joyce being shot by a police officer and have already carried out a significant amount of enquiries.”
He said the enquiries included accounts from the police officers involved, CCTV from inside and outside the station, footage from officers’ bodyworn cameras and police vehicle dashcam footage, and statements from members of the public who witnessed the shooting.
The IOPC added that, as is standard in investigations following a fatal police shooting, it would “look at the decisions and actions of officers prior to and during their interaction with Mr Joyce – including the medical care they provided at the scene; if the lethal force was necessary, justified and proportionate; and whether the officers followed policy”.
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