Good post. I haven't seen the documentary but have followed media representations of men in football and I think the media as you say plays a big roll. However I think footballers themselves still are quite 'anxious' about homosexuality. As it is an all male environment and you get naked together in showers/dressing rooms or at least undress in front of each other, there will be some anxieties about an openly gay player. I agree times have changed. But as you say there is still no openly gay footballer so they haven't changed as much as they could!

Good article although I would add that I think your assertion that vile abuse would come from the terraces is as wildly inaccurate. It's a statement that is equally as unfounded as blaming players for other players not coming out, a statment that you claimed has caused you to write your article. I'm sure from being a football fan that I've heard homophobic chants from a small minority which are widely fround upon and soon drowned out by other fans. Fact is fans have progressed along with footballers, we too don't watch Bernard Manning or Jim Davidson on a saturday night. The whole demographic of football fans has changed over the last decade with seemingly more women and families attending games. Thats not to say that there wouldn't be chants from a minority but I'm confident that any chants would not be tollerated by fans and the football clubs. The one thing that has changed over the years and if anything has got worse is the media. As you state they would love to write a story about a gay footballer, they love to write stories about straight footballers if there is sacandal involved. Tabloid press are looking for more and more shocking stories to sell their papers and I think that would be where the real harm to any gay players career would be had. The press would look to be the first to break the story and then any other assosiated story to that player. As you rightly say they would link other players, probably tap his phone and hound him day and night at his house. The press would want to find scandle in his life as he would become the flavour of the month and seen as somebody who's stories sells. That to me is the major issue, not the fans and as you state not the players.

Good points Jim! But as I said, I don't think players (or fans) are 100% relaxed about homosexuality being openly mentioned in a football context.

A good post, coherent and well-argued. Unfortunately the first comment below the line moronically manages to put the words "naked", "showers" and "dressing room" in close proximity. I'm not sure why so many straight men consider themselves so utterly irresistible to gay men, particularly when taking off their clothes near them: the wish is the father of the thought, perhaps? To paraphrase Stonewall's great poster campaign: some players are gay, get over it. Not long before he came out, people were throwing bananas at Justin Fashanu. Racist behaviour at football eventually became not only unacceptable but self-policed by the crowds. In time, homophobia in football will follow suit.

hi Steve I'm not a straight man I am a woman. I am not saying gay men are likely to lunge for their straight team mates. I am saying straight men are still a bit anxious about stripping off with gay players. The DADT coming to an end in the army has shown this issue is being dealt with to a degree but I don't think being gay in the army is a bundle of laughs and some straight soldiers are still awkward with their gay colleagues.

sorry also - bisexual colleagues. As the author said some footballers are bisexual!

Yes, the word "Girl" in your username gave that away... but you seem to be giving credence to the notion that nakedness has to be sexual in every context. (I find intelligence very attractive but I don't jerk off to pictures of men doing crosswords.) Unfortunately this is now shaping up to be a class issue: historically it has been easier for middle-class people to come out (e.g. at university) than for working-class people. A decade ago, many people would have claimed not to know any gay people personally; that number is now tiny. Football can often lead opinion; in this case, however, it is definitely following.

For me, influenced by the work of Mark Simpson www.marksimpson.com it's not just men getting naked together that injects a sexual tension into football. It is also the direct contact nature of the sport (see also rugby). Men are all over each other on the pitch, sweating, touching, pushing, fouling, kissing. It looks sexy to me!

They don't come out cause of the shite they would get from opposition fans! John oshea and James McFadden are both gay

I'm all for homos in the game.

It looks sexy to me too @ Riot Girl. Just check that photo!!! I already knocked one out just thinking about it. Ho ho ho.

Watched some of the programme but got annoyed at the blatant football bashing and switched it off. I got annoyed a her makin a big deal about the songs she'd heard at the Brighton game. Thankfully she tried to get Matt Lucas to agree with her but he laughed and said it would probably be something he himself would sing!

Actually, they dont come out because they know they'd get lots of guys stalking them. They already get enough of that with the girls (not WaGs). Boy oh boy.

@ Jim. Are you single mate?

@ Dom. And Cole. I would, would you?

well, i think you are all proving your homophobia by not even responding to me. *heads back to Twitter where my real friends are*

Until any footballers come out, surely this is all a load of bull. Maybe gay men are crap at footy? We are constantly having the point you are born gay forced down our throats. Until proven otherwise, can I not suppose that the same causes two left feet, in footy terms?

You summed it up perfectly (and did a better job than Amal). The programme was a big disappointment because it was all about Amal and Justin. What a missed opportunity. So much has changed in britain and in football in the last 20 years. Seeing Millwall players talking supportively about the possibility of a gay teammate was evidence enough. Even the fans' attitude has changed. The chants are not so vile or offensive. There are always exeptions, but as long as it is the older generation then ultimately we are moving in the right direction. The players that spoke in this programme did themselves credit.

I agree that the real problem isn't the fans or the majority of players (we do happen to be living in the 21st century - a period when even a LITHUANIAN court will prosecute a man for making a homophobic rant on facebook)but the management and the media. It is a myth that tabloids are the voice of the people. They are always at least five years behind public opinion on almost every issue. However, the elephant in the room is the attitude of black players. John Fashnu's disgusting weasel words cut no ice with me and it was very revealing that when Millwall players were canvassed, no comment was made about the fact that it was the black players who all looked horrified and vanished whilst the white players stepped forward and denounced bigotry. Terror of upsetting a minority means that we shrug at their prejudices. Hence the ghastly media Uncle Tom and darling of the National Theatre and Radio Four, Kwame Kwei Armah can say publicly that reggae songs calling for "batty men" to be beaten to death are a reasonable expression of West Indian culture. How refreshing that a site which is essentially dedicated to the Beautiful Game can lead the way with what appears to be a relatively liberal discussion of an important issue. Educators, wooly minded politicians and media hacks take note and get with the times.

O'Shea married long term partner Yvonne Manning, 27, in the small surrounds of the Lady Chapel in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland on 8 June 2010. In 2008, he spoke of his years of enduring taunts from fans of rival football teams about his sexuality. He said, "I've been gay for about five years, according to them. The Manchester City fans think I'm gay. It's ridiculous." He added, "it's just a bit of banter really. I just brush it off. It doesn't annoy me. I'm always ready for the sing-song when we play City."

I understand that football is a blokey environment, and that might discourage some from coming out, but is it any more blokey than rugby (Gareth Thomas, Ian Roberts) or hurling (Donal Og Cusack)?

Dunno about O Shea being gay but he has made 1 less appearance for Man Utd than David Beckham, and the 11th most ever. I thought he was rubbish. Like hurling is.

A very good article, and as someone who has spent most of his life playing team sports i can concur that the locker room reaction isn't what scares pro-footballers from announcing there sexuality. I firmly believe that it is the media fuss that has the biggest affect - look at the Gareth Thomas and Steven Davies situations, they ignited a debate in the media that stopped their private life being exactly what it should be private! I do think there is also some apprehension about fan abuse from the terraces as well. The tribalism in football is at times ridiculous (look at Patrice Evra being booed by the Liverpool fans because he was racially abused by one of their players) and undoubtedly some abuse from rival fans will follow, however as John O'shea points out that happens anyway most of the time so they are probably more prepared for that than the media circus that will follow. I also think that the terraces will become self policing as is often the case some people with terrible attitudes will remain but the will be in the smallest minority as in the rest of society.

If everyone kept their personal details to themselves and were not interested in shouting out their differences from the rooftops all over the phukkin place maybe things like a persons sexual preferences wouldnt be such a bleeding heart issue all the phukkin time!! Recently some stooooopid bint was in The Scum telling the world she has 2 fully working vaginas!!!! WTF kind of quirk is that to want to admit to the world? Phukkin incredible that this stupid woman couldnt keep it between herself and her doctor!!! Allmost immediately some Jewish porno producer in the US offered her a million dollars to do a porn film!!! Typical!! I just wish people would shut the phuk up about themselves all the time. If a player is good and plays for my team, thats ALL I want to know about him. Any other issues he has, provided they dont harm anyone else or animals, is totally phukkin irrelevant to me. Just do your jobs and stfu about the rest of the garbage and nonsesne!!

I'm sorry, but do we think that there are no gay people in the media? The issue here is one thing: working class male culture. You similarly don't get many gay men in the nightclub bouncer trade, the military or construction. This is not due to "effeminacy" - one of the hardest, most well respected bouncers in my city is openly gay - but more to do with the fact that these uber-macho working-class workplaces are often uncomfortable with challenging ideas like homosexuality. It's called "defensive insecurity", i.e. "I'm a man, so I automatically don't like stuff that isn't traditionally masculine". The terraces are still a very judgemental and reactionary locale. See the response to the Gray/Keys sexism scandal last year for details. And if you consider the mentality behind the vile abuse that was dished out to a former brain-tumour sufferer, in Glenn Roeder, you shudder to think how an openly gay footballer would fare from week to week.

Sorry, to clarify. I wasn't suggesting the players will necessarily be uncomfortable. Rather, with it being a very public job, the spectators are a part and parcel. I don't imagine you get many openly gay bar staff in working men's clubs either.

As a huge Manchester City, I go to all the home games, I'm gay - the fact that the person next to me shouts "queer this & puff that" to players on the pitch doesn't really bother me to be honest...it's that same guy who's hugging & jumping all over me when City score! Maybe I should tell him I'm gay!

Very good article. May I highlight one point: it is for reasons like this, Joey Barton, that professional footballers will probably always remain closeted and tormented: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/8197843/Newcastle-United-midfielder-Joey-Barton-could-face-FA-punishment-over-obscene-gesture-to-Fernando-Torres.html

Good article and hopefully this bullshit will be tackled as the 20 premiership clubs have signed up today to fight homophobia in football,its a shame that its taken so long. Man City seemed to be pioneering this thinking a no. of yrs ago but how's that going under the new ownership?

Well Cal, I feel that's possibly part of the problem. If someone was in the stands next to me shouting "black this" and "n***** that", then they'd be called to account. There are plenty of prejudices in a crowd, but homophobia goes utterly unchallenged because if you speak up for "them" you might be thought "one".

Really gratifying to see that the majority of comments on here are intelligent and liberal. A shame that some on here want to use it as an excuse to abuse the dead. Justin Fashnu made some tacky decisions in his dealings with the tabloids but he was already "out" by then. It seems that one or two of your correspondents think that hypocrisy and keeping one's sexuality a dirty secret is preferable to honesty in an environment where it shouldn't be an issue.Is a player supposed to invent girlfriends or just pretend to be celibate ? Explain please. Also Fashnu's problems with the US police involved a 17 year old - totally legal in this country and across the civilised world but counting as "assault" because the man was under 21 in that US state.

Well I think we can all agree that it takes a particularly brave and thoughtful commentator to name himself after the day's sexism controversy, and then go to a thread and declare "I don't care about anyone else's problems - do your job". Must be a cherished friend and colleague. Top tip: if you don't care what people do in their private lives, don't read "The Scum" and don't got reading threads about identity politics. Just a couple of thoughts. PS it seems the most inflammatory and racist comments by that individual made it through to e-mail alerts but not past the moderators. Shame, as it showed his true colours.

neanderthals are not homophobic

it is totally possible to not enjoy the idea of two men butt loving each other without being phobic. my wife has gay friends and when one had a birthday I was the only straight guy in a room of 20 gays, it bothered be not one bit (except for the one obvious guy who wanted to show off and behave like a twit which I would have found annoying if he had been a Gino talking about the broads 'he was banging'), we talked, made jokes, had drinks, nothing out of the ordinary. But the idea of two guys porking each other makes me want to vomit. you dont NEED my blessing for anything but dont expect me to say good things about a%% effing each other. you have to be able to separate yourself from your sexuality at a certain point. having two guys on a gay parade float in g-strings and baby oil dry humping on a platform is vulgar just as if its two heteros doing it, yet Im supposed to go out in the street and applaud twits that behave like rutting pigs? nothing to do with phobias. i dont think gays want to have me sexcually but I dont appreciate the fact that whenever someone disagrees the word homophobe comes up. This is the SAME thing that happens if you criticize the politics of Israel, the bombings, the murders, the wanton disrespect for life that we would hold others accountable for. Say ANYTHING remotely against the state and you are an anti-semite. i dont agree with violence towards any group but I also dont appreciate the mentality of fear that hovers any debate. Actually, there is no debate. We are told, you HAVE to like it and if you dont, then you are an evil person. BS. i have no problems for same sex benefits and rights for gays but I believe that the failed institution of marriage is between a man and a woman. Yet people can not allow me to have this opinion because I HAVE to agree with them. You couldnt say you were gay 20years ago and there was no discussion. 20 years later being gay is no big deal yet still you are not allowed discussing it or even having an opinion.

To Jack Harkness above - You are allowed to express your opinions about homosexuality, as you did just now. You have every right to say that homosexuality is not for you. But you have no absolutley business to say what is right for other people. It seems, in your rather repetitive, creepy interjection, that is what you want, because what else would you mean by 'you are not allowed [to discuss] it'? And, I really do mean creepy, because why on earth are you obsessing about what the kind of sex other people have in the first place? Do you spend your waking hours imagining what kind of sex your straight friends get up to by the way? Everyone has sex that someone somewhere doesn't like - so please, please stop this weird, freaky obsession. And to reduce loving relationships, tenderness to 'butt loving' is degrading and demeaning. How would you like it if someone degraded your relationship to a sex act? If that is what you do - I call on your spouse to leave you immediately, because you clearly have no concept of love. There isn't a debate about homosexuality as it happens - every single medical, psychological and psychiatric institution in the Western world agrees that homosexuality is a natural, harmless expression of love between a minority of humans. It is also found in over 400 other animal species. Some very plausible explanation of the evolutionary benefits of homosexuality have been put forward by several eminent scientists (Qazi Rahman, Volker Sommer and even Richard Dawkins). So if you want to have a debate on homosexuality - don't expect to be taken remotely seriously until you have it out with those folks who, I rather suspect, are more qualified to talk about the subject than you are. In the meantime, speak up, but expect your opinions to be treated with ridicule or worse. The burning question (literally) in the fight for human freedoms, since the Inquisition, has been 'Quo Warranto' - 'On what authority?' On what authority do you decide that a straight relationships are less worthy than gay ones? It's your job to answer that, before you tell me what marraige is. If you are going to get upset about a pride event - many gay people find it not to their liking either - then please also get upset about all those big dance events where straight people do almost the same thing at Creamfields, Wonderland in Ibiza, SW4, the Notting Hill Carnival, and so on, and so on. Where is your anger about that too? Why the double standards? PS Isn't it funny that those poeple who make the most crass, insensitive comments about gay people are usually the most sensitive when they themselves are criticised.

In a recent blog that I wrote on racism, I pulled up American Psycho's epigrammical quotation from America's "Miss Manners", Judith Martin: ‘One of the major mistakes people make is that they think manners are only the expression of happy ideas. There’s a whole range of behaviour that can be expressed in a mannerly way. That’s what civilization is all about – doing it in a mannerly and not an antagonistic way. One of the places we went wrong was the naturalistic Rousseauean movement of the sixties in which people said, “Why can’t you just say what’s on your mind?” In civilization there have to be some restraints. If we followed every impulse, we’d be killing one another.’ That's the point. Feel how you like about the practices and beliefs of certain people. However, if you take it into the public sphere, you run the risk of appearing as a bigot. Nobody has ever told me I "have to like" homosexuality - in fact I learned to not dislike it by having a childhood friend come out, and also by making gay friends working in the local nightclub scene. What you are being told is "keep your dislike to yourself", a behaviour you evidently cannot emulate. For example, I can perfectly understand you wanting to criticise Israeli policy, and anyone who declares that you are an anti-semite for those beliefs is clutching at straws. However, saying that the thought of Jewish people "makes you want to vomit" - like you say about consensual gay male sex - would be very much anti-semitic. To paraphrase Eddie Izzard: "I have no problem with homophobia, as long as they do it behind closed doors". The internet is a public forum, and voicing such opinions can only be calculated to cause offence.

This is not to say that I in any way excuse homophobia, by the way. It's just that, as my blog on racism in football observes, people are inherently prejudiced in many ways. It takes mentally strong people to rise above thier natural propensity towards categorisation and stereotyping. Peace, love, I'm out.

That's true, but bear in mind that sexual orientation is neither an impulse nor a practice. It's one's very nature. Nature and Evolution loves diversity. 21st century society hates it - inherited from Abrahamic superstition. It takes education to resolve the situation, and maybe this will be resolved in a few generatoins, which is not even a blink of an eye in Darwinian terms. Talking of which, Sunday is the 203rd birthday of the great man, himself. (A Carl Sagan moment is coming on...) All one has to do, is take oneself off to some open moorland - David Preece might consider Langsett, for instance - and stare up at the stars, whose photons of light are ending a journey, which probably began before our species existed, in our retina. This feeling is a great leveller to pauper and prince, and it should make you realise that the things that concern us - whom we sleep with - are stupid beyond belief. Our DNA says we are at least 98 percent chimp, and it shows.

Well, I have been a fan of football/aka soccer in other parts of the world, and am often hanging with the 'hardcore' crowd, and I often felt embarrassed by what they said/yelled/chanted... But, as open minded as I am, I have serious doubts, that the ultras/hooligan crowd would accept it... And it is a pity... I cheer for a team, not for their wives or their personal lives... Honestly, I don't care whether the captain of my team is dating a man or a woman or is single... But, unfortunately, there is still a part of the crowd that is either too religious, or too conservative or too idiotic to accept homosexuality and would eat any player who would have the guts to come out... The minority shapes the stadiums when it comes to this subject, and it saddens me. As much as I do not care what colour the players have, I do not care who they have sex with, like I said, I support and cheer a team and the players playing for my team, not a single player... BUt as long as ppl in high positions can use the word "fag/faggot" without any problems, the fans won't acknowledge it... And, just to be provocative, many think 2 women together are hot, but two men are disgusting... Where lays the sense in that???

This Thierry Ennui talks the greatest amount of bullshite I've ever seen on the net. Tupenny cod-philosophy desgined to impress illiterates. No danger of an original thought there Titi, all well-worn cliches magpied from someone or somewhere. Get a life.