John Fashanu became target of anti-gay football slurs when brother Justin came ...

Footballer John Fashanu faced vicious homophobic abuse after his brother Justin came out as gay in the 1990s, MailOnline can reveal.

The Wimbledon player, who went onto present ITV's Gladiators, could not cope with the fallout and rejected Justin after he became the first - and still only - publicly gay Premier League Footballer.

Now, 20 years after Justin killed himself after being accused of sexual assault, his family is hoping to rehabilitate his image and challenge homophobia in football.

Launching a foundation in Justin's name, John Fashanu's daughter Amal described how both brothers were taunted by fans who refused to accept that a professional footballer could be gay. 

Footballer John Fashanu (left) faced vicious homophobic abuse after his brother Justin (right) came out as gay in the 1990s, MailOnline can reveal

Footballer John Fashanu (left) faced vicious homophobic abuse after his brother Justin (right) came out as gay in the 1990s, MailOnline can reveal

John (right with daughter Amal), who went onto present ITV’s Gladiators, could not cope with the fallout and rejected Justin after he became the first - and still only - publicly gay premiere league footballer. The family is now hoping to challenge homophobia in the sport

John (right with daughter Amal), who went onto present ITV's Gladiators, could not cope with the fallout and rejected Justin after he became the first - and still only - publicly gay premiere league footballer. The family is now hoping to challenge homophobia in the sport

Launching a foundation in Justin's name, John Fashanu's daughter Amal described how both brothers were taunted by fans who refused to accept that a professional footballer could be gay

Launching a foundation in Justin's name, John Fashanu's daughter Amal described how both brothers were taunted by fans who refused to accept that a professional footballer could be gay

Justin Fashanu, who commanded a £1 million transfer fee on his move from Norwich City to Nottingham Forest, faced a barrage of abuse after he came out in 1990.

John, who went on to play for Aston Villa, later admitted he acted like 'a monster' towards his old brother, paying him £75,000 not to reveal he was gay. 

Justin, who commanded a £1 million transfer fee on his move from Norwich City to Nottingham Forest, faced a barrage of abuse after he came out in 1990

Justin, who commanded a £1 million transfer fee on his move from Norwich City to Nottingham Forest, faced a barrage of abuse after he came out in 1990

They were estranged when Justin died.

Today Amal, a 29-year-old fashion designer, told MailOnline: 'I don't think my Dad ever wanted to harm Justin in any way or upset him.

'But there was a bit of brotherly rivalry because they were both playing football and both in the limelight.

'Justin was the first million-pound black player in England while my Dad did trials for 18 different football clubs before one finally gave him the chance.

'Then, finally when he got his break and was doing well, his brother decided to come out as gay.

'As a macho man, who was part of the crazy gang in Wimbledon with Vinnie Jones, he didn't want to be confused with his brother.

'They were both footballers and looked very similar. There were a lot of repercussions when Justin came out.

'My Dad told me that at matches they would chant at him because they thought he was gay.

John, a former striker for Wimbledon and Aston Villa, later admitted he acted like ‘a monster’ towards his older brother, paying him £75,000 not to reveal he was gay. They were estranged when Justin (pictured left with John as children) died  

John, a former striker for Wimbledon and Aston Villa, later admitted he acted like 'a monster' towards his older brother, paying him £75,000 not to reveal he was gay. They were estranged when Justin (pictured left with John as children) died  

Amal, a 29-year-old fashion designer, told MailOnline: ‘I don’t think my Dad ever wanted to harm Justin in any way or upset him. ‘But there was a bit of brotherly rivalry because they were both playing football and both in the limelight'

Amal, a 29-year-old fashion designer, told MailOnline: 'I don't think my Dad ever wanted to harm Justin in any way or upset him. 'But there was a bit of brotherly rivalry because they were both playing football and both in the limelight'

Amal said it took John a lot longer to break into top flight football, unlike Jason (above) who became the first million-pound black player in England. When he did make it, his career was shadowed by his brother's sexuality

Fans would chant at Justin (kneeling) and John (top), so the younger sibling - who was part of Wimbledon's tough Crazy Gang with Vinnie Jones - tried to distance himself 

Fans would chant at Justin (kneeling) and John (top), so the younger sibling - who was part of Wimbledon's tough Crazy Gang with Vinnie Jones - tried to distance himself 

Amal said: 'They were both footballers and looked very similar. There were a lot of repercussions when Justin came out. ‘My Dad told me that at matches they would chant at him because they thought he was gay' Pictured: Justin with his foster mother Betty Jackson

Amal said: 'They were both footballers and looked very similar. There were a lot of repercussions when Justin came out. 'My Dad told me that at matches they would chant at him because they thought he was gay' Pictured: Justin with his foster mother Betty Jackson

'I don't think he meant to sound as critical as he did. He talked out of emotion and being in the moment and trying to protect himself.' 

Amal, who is backed by the Professional Footballers' Association, is organising a ball to raise money for the foundation.

'I will be the most active member, but I do want to involve my family,' she added, 'as I think it's important to remember Justin all together.

'We are hoping that Justin's good friends Sir Elton John and David Beckham will be part of the campaign.'

She

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