Gay footballer Josh Cavallo has said that he feels “being an openly gay player” in men’s football is a very “toxic place”. 

In an interview with BBC Sport, Cavallo, who in July moved from Australia to England to join non-league Peterborough Sports, opened up about the reality of being openly gay in men’s football.

The 25-year-old came out publicly as gay in October 2021. He has since revealed that he faces “multiple death threats” every day.

He said of work still needed to tackle homophobia in men’s football: “We’ve got mountains to do. I don’t go more than a week without hearing about an issue.”

In January 2022, Melbourne Victory was fined $5,000 AUD (around £2,500) by Football Australia after fans hurled hateful abuse at Josh Cavallo when his former team Adelaide United played them. 

Cavallo recalled of the incident: “The things I’d hear were hurtful and derogatory towards my community. I didn’t react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

‘There are a lot of scary things…’

He admitted that it would “move mountains” to have openly gay or bisexual players in the Premier League. 

“But I’m not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person’s way. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place,” he acknowledged of the reality of coming out with so much public attention.

Football icon Justin Fashanu made history by becoming the first professional footballer to come out as gay in 1990. He was hounded by the homophobic British tabloid press, and tragically died by suicide in 1998.

Despite being aware of that “toxic masculinity” still has roots in men’s football, Cavallo shared that he’s been received “really positively” at Peterborough Sports. 

He said: “Everyone has been nice. The respect is there. I had offers in other countries before coming to Peterborough.

“It wasn’t about picking the club playing at the highest level. It was about finding a club where I was going to be comfortable. The way Peterborough Sports was sold to me was something I could be comfortable with and be who I am off the pitch.”

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). ​

Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.

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