<\/p>\n
Joshua Cavallo – the first man to come out as gay while playing top-tier football – has alleged he was pushed out of his former club due to “internal homophobia”.<\/p>\n
Cavallo, who recently joined semi-professional English outfit Stamford AFC after leaving Adelaide United in May last year, made global headlines in 2021 when he came out with the support of his Australian club.<\/p>\n
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Cavallo alleged that the Adelaide United officials had afterwards sidelined him due to his sexuality, something a spokesperson for the club said it “categorically rejects”.<\/p>\n
“All on-field decisions relating to team selection are made solely on footballing grounds,” the club’s statement read.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In the Instagram post, Cavallo wrote that it had taken him a while to “digest how my time at Adelaide United ended” but said he was speaking out because fans deserve honesty.<\/p>\n
“It’s hard to swallow when I realised my own club was homophobic. I was angry because people thought I was sidelined based on injuries, when in reality, it was internal homophobia that kept me on the bench.”<\/p>\n
A change in management meant “politics” kept him off the pitch and limited his career opportunities, Cavallo said, also alleging a photo of him and his partner was mocked by his teammates in a group chat.<\/p>\n
“For the first time, I actually questioned if I should have kept my sexuality a secret.”<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Adelaide United – which is due to take part in its fourth Pride Cup match on Saturday – said it was “extremely disappointed by the claims made”.<\/p>\n
“Adelaide United has always been committed to fostering an inclusive environment for players, staff and supporters, and we remain proud of our ongoing work to promote inclusion across football.”<\/p>\n
Cavallo has previously spoken about receiving death threats on a near daily basis after his decision to publicly come out, but has said that his only regret is not coming out sooner.<\/p>\n
While former professional footballers or those in lower tiers have come out as gay before, Cavallo was the first to do so while actively playing in a premier league.<\/p>\n
His 2021 revelation inspired Jake Daniels, who in 2022, at the age of 17, became the first British professional male footballer to come out in more than 30 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Pioneering #gay #footballer #accuses #club #homophobia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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