Sunday, January 09, 2022
After coming out in October
Gay professional laments homophobic insults
Josh Cavallo will be coming out in October. The Australian professional is the only openly gay professional footballer in a country’s premier league in the world. After a game at Melbourne Victory, he is now making homophobic slurs against him publicly saying, “Hate will never win.”
The Australian professional footballer Josh Cavallo made homophobic abuse against himself after a game in the Australian A-League. “There are no words to say how disappointed I was,” the Adelaide United defender wrote on Instagram after the 1-1 draw at Melbourne Victory. He will not pretend that he has not seen or heard the insults, wrote the 22-year-old, who made his homosexuality public in October. The Australian A-League announced plans to investigate the incidents during the game.
“There is no place for bullying, harassment or verbal abuse in Australian football and we do not tolerate this harmful behavior,” it said in a statement. Cavallo urged society to act on Instagram. “That shouldn’t be acceptable and we have to do more to hold these people responsible,” wrote the footballer. “Hate will never win.”
The youth international of Australia encouraged other people, who also suffered from homophobic abuse, to keep their heads up and continue to hold on to their dreams. He urged Instagram to do more against insults.
Cavallo had made his homosexuality public in October in a video. He hoped to use it to encourage other people and footballers. “It is amazing to know that there are currently no professional gay footballers who come out and play actively. Not just in Australia, but around the world,” he wrote. “I know there are other players out there who haven’t dared to stand out. I want to help change that.”
The Australian’s words had made a big splash, far beyond the borders of the fifth continent. “This is a great step by Joshua Cavallo. The reactions show that we are on the right track when it comes to homophobia in football,” said Alexander Wehrle, managing director of Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln, in an interview with ntv.de. “The fact that this news from Australia generated such a large media echo also shows that we have not yet got where we want to be: namely with normal interaction.”
Wehrle, who will move to VfB Stuttgart in April, had also made football a duty. “The clubs, the leagues, but also the associations should make sure that everyone feels ready to take this step and can do it without this huge excitement.”