"Leaving the club had nothing to do with football. Decisions were made by people in power that blocked my opportunities, not because of my talent, but because of who I choose to love. 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."
"I stayed professional, kept my head down, and worked hard every day which I'm proud of. This was exactly the fear I had coming out, seeing prejudice affect my career in modern day. For the first time I questioned whether I should have kept my sexuality a secret. I felt things going backwards, not just on the pitch, but in the one place I thought was a safe space and after seeing a group chat of teammates mocking a picture of my partner"
Josh Cavallo publicly came out as gay in October 2021 and became the first high-profile openly gay top-flight footballer since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Praise followed from figures including Gary Lineker and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Cavallo alleges discrimination at Adelaide United, saying decisions by people in power blocked his opportunities and that internal homophobia kept him on the bench despite not being injured. He took engagement photos at Adelaide's ground last year. Other players who later came out include Jake Daniels and Jakub Jankto. Cavallo says teammates mocked a picture of his partner in a group chat and that he questioned whether to have kept his sexuality private.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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