Footballer’s Union Will Fight Homophobia

Jonny Payne

The union for professional footballers in England and Wales will send a poster to every Premier League and Football League club in the country, with the aim of raising awareness of homophobia in the sport.

According to the Daily Mail, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) will distribute the poster to all professional clubs in an attempt to make players more aware of the issue. 

The poster shows two shirts; one with ‘gay’ and No.7 and one with ‘straight’ and No.11 written on the back, and the words: “When you are part of a team you are never on your own – we are all winners. Football is committed to tackling homophobia” – 

Backed by the Kick it Out anti-discrimination group, as well as the Football Association and Football League Managers’ Association, the poster will be the start of a wider campaign, which also includes a DVD featuring gay former rugby player Gareth Thomas and former tennis star Martina Navratilova. Each of the 92 clubs has also agreed to sign a government-initiated charter to combat homophobia in sport, the Daily Mail reports.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Simone Pound, Head of Equality at the PFA said: “We are working hard to tackle homophobia and it is something everyone has a responsibility to address.  

“We want the authorities, clubs and fans to create a ‘so what?’ culture around being gay in football. As the players’ union, we consider it a vital matter. There has been a step forward recently and football is taking homophobia seriously.”

Chris Basiurski of the Gay Footballers Support Network welcomes the news, but says more needs to be done. “The leagues have not done anywhere near enough on the issue. They haven’t shown any sign that they are willing to take the issue seriously,” he told the Daily Mail.

The news comes amid claims that a gay match official was prohibited from speaking on a BBC documentary about homophobia in football by his employers, although the Premier League claims it doesn’t allow match officials to talk to the media, regardless of the subject.

http://news.pinkpaper.com/