Matt Lucas on openly gay footballers...

[Dinner with Gotsmanov]

Would there not be an issue with their fellow professionals if they came out? I cannot imagine that in the macho environment of professional football that other players would not be making snide comments, gestures and actions based on sexuality throughout the match to wind up their opponent? Maybe I am wrong and footballers are a lot more enlightened these days than, say, in the days of the Robbie Fowler/Le Saux incident.

 

[Hillian1]

I work with loads of people in sporting and media industries

You should mention this more often in my opinion.

 

[Buzzer]

Would there not be an issue with their fellow professionals if they came out? I cannot imagine that in the macho environment of professional football that other players would not be making snide comments, gestures and actions based on sexuality throughout the match to wind up their opponent? Maybe I am wrong and footballers are a lot more enlightened these days than, say, in the days of the Robbie Fowler/Le Saux incident.

I reckon there would be some comments but I would think that his team-mates would rally round. And the player who was found making homophobic comments would have hell to pay if found out. I can see why there aren't any openly gay footballers because no-one wants the media circus that would come with it but as and when it happens, I'd hope that in a very short time, everyone will wonder what the big deal was all about. I'm not that naive though to think that there won't be widespread abuse, probably on social media from numpties who think they've a God-given right to express their bigotry because it's just 'banter'.

 

[JOLovegrove]

I don't get NSC's obsession with homosexuality, but here is me posting on the thread

We are the football team representing the gay capital of the country. If we don't care, who will?

 

[Dinner with Gotsmanov]

I reckon there would be some comments but I would think that his team-mates would rally round. And the player who was found making homophobic comments would have hell to pay if found out. I can see why there aren't any openly gay footballers because no-one wants the media circus that would come with it but as and when it happens, I'd hope that in a very short time, everyone will wonder what the big deal was all about. I'm not that naive though to think that there won't be widespread abuse, probably on social media from numpties who think they've a God-given right to express their bigotry because it's just 'banter'.

I'd love to agree with you but really we do not know what the reaction of team-mates would be. Whilst racism, which is a bit of a barometer against which homophobia is measured, has been subdued, there are still isolated instances of it within football, and from high profile players and fans of bigger teams who do not then seem to get admonished by their team-mates or peers.

As Albion Fans, we are routinely subjected en masse to the nonsense of homophobia. If there is a single player getting dog's abuse from a large home crowd at an away game, it is a different scenario, and personal. Whilst the perpetrators may then get publicly rebuked for their views, the scenario is that the player still has to go through this baptism before any progress is made.

I hope I am wrong though and that if any player was brave enough to come out, the football community as whole would support him. I remain sceptical though....

 

[AWAYDAY]

maybe we could get over it if people didnt keep on insisting there is a quota of gay footballers that need to come out.

I've never heard of a quota of footballers that need to come out??

It's just that statistics show there are likely to be some gay footballers but it appears that outdated attitudes in football prevent them from feeling able to.

My view is at some point someone will come out and when they do maybe the football world will catch up with the rest of society and get over it.

 

[GT49er]

I probably should have said 99% of crowds will either be ambivalent or positive. But in a way, simply ignoring the first openly gay player would actually be the most respectful thing to do. My point is that I think the player would get very little (if any) abuse, firstly because the vast majority of people obviously aren’t homophobic and secondly because the spotlight on the PL is simply too great. The idiots just won’t get away with it once a player comes out and attention on this issue is ramped up to the max. It needs to happen, it will happen and it will be good for everybody when it does.

That may well be the case for Albion supporters, but I'm not sure it applies to the rest of the UK - and I'm even more doubtful that it apples to football fans as a whole. Yes, people may have learned when it's best to keep their gob shut and not voice unacceptable opinions, but that doesn't mean they necessarily support the current views on what is and is not acceptable. If I was a high profile professional footballer, and gay, I'm not at all sure I'd have an easy time of it if I opted to be the first to come out.

 

[NooBHA]

You should mention this more often in my opinion.

Apologies if that came across as crass. Sometimes I see threads in isolation and forget the board is like a little family and that people already know each other. Maybe its because on line you don't always realise that knowledge of each other is already there because there isn't any personal relationship there

I honestly don't mean to be **** off look at me, although it can be nice on the odd occasion. I shall try to reign in being a Nob-edd

I am eating humble pie coz I'm in a good mood with Scotland winning

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We are the football team representing the gay capital of the country. If we don't care, who will?

I watched the Premier League show last night, straight after the England match. They featured Matt Lucas, Gay Gooners, and Queenie in a Brighton shirt. It seems Arsenal have really taken up the baton now, and we're not alone in caring.

 

[Simster]

I concur with your final statement. My issue is with people like Matt Lucas dangling the financial carrot

In fairness, he's talking to professional footballers in the only language they seem to understand.

For what it's worth, I don't think he's right because when one announces it, there will be two or three announcing the same within hours. I just don't think there will be a seminal moment, and it will happen as soon as the footballing world realise that most people don't give a shiny shite about their sexuality. Indeed, most people are already at that point.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Braggfan]

It wasn't meant to be. I just think it isn't any body's business and has to be an individuals decision because I couldn't give a flying shit who is and who isn't gay. It matters not one jot - And it shouldn't matter to Matt Lucas either

"When will we get the first openly gay footballer?" has been built up into this massive thing and people forget that it should be an individuals choice whether they come out publicly. I agree with you that it isn't really Matt Lucas's place to tell footballers they should do it because they'll earn lots of money. They already earn lots of money, so let them make their own decisions. In fairness to Matt Lucas, I think what he's trying to say is that there will be a lot of people who support a footballer who comes out. I also think Lucas because of his role as patron of Arsenal LGBT fans will get asked questions about gay footballers, so it's not really him saying gay footballers should do this now, more responding to the quuestions put to him.

 

[Blackadder]

I probably should have said 99% of crowds will either be ambivalent or positive. But in a way, simply ignoring the first openly gay player would actually be the most respectful thing to do. My point is that I think the player would get very little (if any) abuse, firstly because the vast majority of people obviously aren’t homophobic and secondly because the spotlight on the PL is simply too great. The idiots just won’t get away with it once a player comes out and attention on this issue is ramped up to the max. It needs to happen, it will happen and it will be good for everybody when it does.

Agrred. However a lot of players in the PL move on to play in other countries. I fear fans in eastern Europe and countries like Turkey or Italy would not be so understanding.

 

[The Large One]

While Matt Lucas' contention that the first gay footballer will be an icon is probably correct, it's also a bit cynical. It seeks to presume that the person in question will be a household name, and that they're used to the media circus - and that they'd be happy with a media circus.

I was at the Kick It Out forum last night, and this very subject was raised. The simple fact is that the FA simply isn't doing the right thing to encourage this kind of open debate. We were told last night that the FA has a plan in place for appropriate media coverage should a player wish to. This is so wrong on so many levels. The best way for a player to come out - as suggested by most of the panel - is when it's personally and professionally suitable for that individual to do so - not when the FA wishes to score a social point. Something like a selfie with 'hey, here's me and my boyfriend...' kind of approach, NOT a big media scrum with inappropriate questions being asked.

The chairman Greg Clarke recently invited every professional footballer to approach him anonymously to talk about their homosexuality - assuming there were any. This approach is horribly wrong. The FA simply has not put in place a support mechanism for any individuals. It's not for the FA to entice gay players out - it's for the individual to come out when they're ready.

Liam Rosenior was on the panel. He intends to move into coaching and management sooner rather than later in his career (his contract here runs out at the end of this season). He regaled a story where a manager he was playing under 'a few years ago' (no mention of club or individual) stated that if a player came out to him, 'he would never play for me again. That has no place in football...'. Rosenior, of course, takes the opposite view, and would welcome and support any player who wishes to confide in him something along those lines.

'Queenie' in the film, incidentally, is the person who has set up 'Proud Seagulls'. There are 32 professional clubs with a 'Proud' element to it - Arsenal were the first in the form of 'Gay Gooners', followed (not to be outdone) by Spurs' 'Proud Lilywhites'.