A mysterious Twitter account launched last week under the name “The Gay Footballer” is purported to belong to a second-tier UEFA Champions League soccer player, according to the Independent Newspaper.
To date, the account has gathered nearly 17 000 followers and has had the industry guessing over the identity of the sports personality behind it.
There are currently no active professional male footballers in England who are openly gay, however, the Football Association marched at Pride in London for the first time on Saturday. They have also backed Stonewall’s rainbow laces campaign in recent years.
“I’m a professional footballer, playing for a club in the SkyBetChamp,” the account Tweeted on Friday, adding that “I will be revealing my identity soon, but I am a proud gay man, hoping to break the mould. I am under the age of 23, and today I came out to my family. Soon, I will come out publicly.”
More information was released yesterday, with the Independent revealing that the player had requested a meeting with both his manager and club chairman.
“At this meeting I revealed to both gentlemen that I am a homosexual man, I explained that I had only yesterday come out to my family,” the user’s subsequent post on Twitter read, adding that he sought advice from both men regarding the fact that he “not only wants to, but will come out publicly as a proud, confident” gay professional footballer.
He finished off his statement by saying that, once he has taken the time to give full consideration to how and when he is going to come out to the public, a press conference will be organised by the club.
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