A Premier League footballer has revealed he is gay but is too scared to come out publicly because of the stigma.
In an open letter to addressed to Justin Fashanu’s niece, Amal, who runs the Justin Fashanu Foundation, the anonymous star said living a secret life was having a ‘massive impact’ on his mental health.
He added that it was ‘virtually impossible’ to have a relationship.
It was also revealed that the footballer who has spoken to some of his teammates about his sexuality told Amal that he has known he is gay since he was 14.
In the letter first published by The Sun, the player wrote: ‘Even though society has moved on massively since I was a teenager, the game simply hasn’t.
‘Those running it need to put more measures in place so gay players know they will get the support they need.
‘The powers-that-be are only playing lip service to the issue.’
The letter comes after another anonymous gay player opened up about sexuality in a letter published by the newspaper back in July.
Ms. Amal Fashanu said that the player felt a ‘weight off his shoulders’ after reading that letter.
‘I hope to put the two in touch to discuss their situations,’ the 32-year-old activist said.
Justin Fashanu, ex-Norwich striker, killed himself in 1998, aged 37, eight years after coming out as Britain’s first gay player.
Since Justin’s passing, no professional footballers in the UK have come out as openly gay.
In 2019, Amal Fashanu founded the Justin Fashanu Foundation which focuses on Racism, Homophobia, and Mental Health in Football.