Football Association urges gay players not to stay ‘in closet’

The Football Association has urged British club players who are gay to come out. It follows a year of notable ‘homophobic’ incidents with footballers in the UK.

Newcastle United, one player has been deemed to have been inappropriate on social media about LGBT people.

However the FA believes high profile footie stars shouldn’t feel unable to be proud of their sexuality.

Chairman of the organisation, David Bernstein, revealed on Friday plans by the body to take-on homophobia in the sport with an action plan which includes induction days, for foreign players on cultural values, as well as sanctions against discrimination.

Bernstien says the plans are to ensure “the game is inclusive and combats discrimination” he told The Daily Mail adding that tackling the issues has been “at the top of my agenda”.

Research released by the UK Government in September this year showed that homophobia was the biggest issue within the football community. This year alone six players were listed for homophobic actions by the FA.

“Newcastle United’s Nile Ranger, Walsall’s Manny Smith and Manchester United’s Federico Macheda, currently on loan at Queens Park Rangers, have all been charged with improper conduct in relation to comments made on Twitter. The charge is that the players acted in a way which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute. It is further alleged that the breach included a reference to a person’s or persons’ sexual orientation.”– a Statement from the FA said in Feburary.

And earlier in the year West Ham player Ravel Morrison was fined £7000 by the FA for posting a homophobic comment online. Leicester City footballer Michael Ball was fined £6000 by the FA  for a comment about the gay soap actor Anthony Cotton during his appearance on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and Lee Steele was dismissed from Oxford City football club after comments he made about the openly gay rugby player Gareth Thomas during his stint in Channel Five‘s Celebrity Big Brother.

At the beginning of 2012 the Football Association launched an anti-homophobia campaign, to little success.

However Bernstien remains undeterred, “The over-riding message remains that there is simply no place for any form of discrimination in football.” He told the Daily Mail, concluding, “No football player should fear coming out as gay at the risk of suffering discrimination and we continue to strengthen our support programmes to ensure the game is open to all regardless of their sexuality.”

Justin Fashanu is so far the only homosexual English footballer to reveal his sexuality. Eight years after he ‘came out’ he committed suicide in 1998.