Did you know that out of the 5,000 current professional footballers in Britain, none of them have come out publicly as being gay. With supposedly 1 in 100 Brits being gay (though I wouldn't trust that figure too much!), that is a lot of closeted footballer players.Tonight's intriguing documentary Britain's Gay Footballers follows Amal Fashanu, niece of Justin Fashanu, the only ever openly gay British professional, as she tries to discover why no gay player has followed her uncle's example in over twenty years.
I'd like to think that one day a person's sexuality won't define who they are. It seems absurd that a gay footballer would be treated any differently to a straight footballer, but as Amal discovers, the world of professional football is a very different ball game to what we would expect. Amal meets Matt Lucas, who has suffered and observed shocking homophobic abuse at football grounds, while Max Clifford reveals that he has helped several Premiership stars keep their homosexuality secret in order to preserve their careers. Just where has this homophobia come from and why is it still present?
It's a sad world that people can't be who they are. Playing football should not provide another reason for gay people to have to live a lie.
Don't miss Britain's Gay Footballers on BBC3 tonight at 9pm.
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