Football may still come home, but it's unlikely to come out any time soon.

With the World Cup well under way it got me wondering why inclusivity in male football appears to have such a hard time being inclusive!

For example, if extensive surveys are to be believed, most supporters are not homophobic, but still join in with gay (and other) slurs on the terraces.

Why I wonder?

From a coaching perspective, most humans need to feel they belong, are accepted by their peers and in some cases want to avoid being seen as 'odd' or an outsider if they offer challenge with populist views.

From what I see and hear...

Players & Managers don't seem to go beyond words or slogans in support of inclusivity.

Some have 'gay' supporters clubs with their own area in the stands, which to me seems puzzling...do gay people need to be identified separately?

If a male player were to 'come out', managers would potentially see this as disrupting, dividing & diverting attention from being a 'successful' team on the field.

And then there is the money!

Football is a global business and clubs will advise their closeted players not to come out if they wish to remain marketable & endorsed.

Many footballing nations still have an outright ban on homosexuality as we've been reminded of at this World Cup.

Kudos though to the Iranian captain Mehdi Taremi who spoke of respect for the LGBT+ community, while acknowledging his country's stance on LGBT+ rights.

And then there is Justin Fashanu.

This man was amazingly brave.

A black, gay First Division (as it was then) footballer of Nigerian/Ghanaian descent, who even in the 70's at his school in Attleborough, Norfolk was sticking up for boys who were being bullied.

He and his brother Jon were the only black children at the school, having been fostered by a local couple after their parents split up.

Yes, he may have made one or two unwise choices, but who doesn't?

He was prepared to put his head above the parapet in 1990, which also meant the press were waiting for him to put a foot wrong.

The press hounding of Justin, his brother Jon's & the F.A's lack of support when he was alive, together with the isolation he must have felt, surely contributed to him taking his own life in 1998.

Another Norwich City player, Tony Powell, moved to 'gay friendly' West Hollywood, after his football career ended. He had been married with two children, but fearing he would be shunned by his family for coming out, he 'disappeared'. They didn't know where he had gone for 35 years.

His story was made into a documentary in 2025 and highlights the loneliness which can accompany such stories.

Justin's coming out lingers heavy in the air, even 28 years later. I mean, I'm still talking about it here!

As of July 2026 there are no current 'out' male football players anywhere in any U.K. league. There have been a handful of world footballers confident enough to come out, but none of them play for U.K. teams anymore and the rest play or played for other countries teams.

The women's game on the other hand has plenty of role models in the game. There has been little fanfare or reaction when a female footballer announces they are gay and/or are in a same sex relationship. That's not to say they don't suffer abuse too and often the straight female footballers are 'labelled' as 'gay'.

What could be the reasons for this?

• Most (not all) male supporters are more likely to accept female players in relationships as it doesn't have a perceived 'threat' to the men's game.

  
  

• Female supporters & women (on the whole) don't have a fear of same sex relationships in the footballing world or indeed sport as much as men do.

  
  

• The press will potentially watch an 'out' male footballers every move and wait for him to come crashing down, proving the traditional narrative right.

  
  

• And if you really want to get basic, then there is always the nonsense of gay and straight male players changing and showering together. This they do already, we just don't who they are!

  
  

• Players will be known for their sexuality rather than their football skills.

  
  

• People resist change, especially when it's perceived as something to fear or getting in the way of 'real man bonding'.

  
  

• Gay people need to stay in their lane. You've been 'allowed' to get married & have children, have the same age of consent etc. Gay footballers... a step too far??

It's no wonder no U.K. gay footballer playing in Britain, is out and proud at the moment.

From a coaching perspective and what I have learnt from my 20+ years of facilitating, the longer you leave something to fester the more reality turns to fiction or indeed a narrative appears which suits the 'institution'.

Perhaps the power lies with the supporters rather than those in the game?

For example, supporters could consider...

• If this club is supporting inclusivity, what can I do on match days to endorse this?

  
  

• Shouldn't our shared love and passion for this club override anything else?

  
  

• What does the language I use say about me and the culture at this club?

  
  

• Why do I get involved with 'banter' I know will hurt other people?

  
  

  Football has the power & money to unify and indeed change the world for the better.

  It needs to do better with racism, stereotyping & toxic masculinity. There are good guys in there, but they still appear to be drowned out by the fear that football will lose it's masculinity if it becomes more accepting.

  
  

Football knows who it's gay players are.

When was the last time the layers of the league asked...

How can I/this team/the FA help you to be yourself and feel accepted?

This isn't about flag waving, shouting from the rooftops or creating special things for gay footballers.

It's a simple case of gay footballers knowing they will have collective support from inside and outside the game, should they choose to share their sexuality.

Wouldn't it be great if just one football club & it's supporters together, really stepped up to the plate and turned tradition on it's head.

Variety in any profession is a good thing!