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 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 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 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 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 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 hopes to tour schools across the country and 'educate kids from grassroots levels about the impact of homophobia and racism on players'. 'I want them to understand what happened to my family,' she added. 'Footballers are humans and have feelings just like everybody else. 'They have families who are affected by their treatment. They are not watching a video game. These people actually have lives.' A recent survey by Sky News revealed that 86 per cent of football fans have witnessed a racist incident at a football match. 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' She hopes to tour schools across the country and 'educate kids from grassroots levels about the impact of homophobia and racism on players'. 'I want them to understand what happened to my family,' she added. 'Footballers are humans and have feelings just like everybody else' A recent survey by Sky News revealed that 86 per cent of football fans have witnessed a racist incident at a football match 'The figure rises to 93 per cent among supporters from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background. However, Amal, who made the 2012 BBC documentary Britain's Gay Footballers, believes that homophobia is even more rife than racism in society. 'I think we are moving faster with racism in football than homophobia,' she said. 'Homophobia is something which isn't really being addressed as such. I want to create an environment where a gay footballer feels happy to come out and safe. 'I'm not sure we've achieved that just yet.' Amal, who was nine years old when her uncle died, remembers his death as one of the 'lowlights' of her life. 'I remember the night before he passed away as if it were yesterday,' she said. 'Justin had come over from the States and had come around for dinner. 'He was chasing me down the corridor trying to force me to eat strawberries and cream - I don't really like strawberries. 'Then he said: 'Come on let's focus and do some homework.' I was sitting on his lap reading the book Chip and Skip. 'Homophobia is something which isn't really being addressed as such,' said Amal. 'I want to create an environment where a gay footballer feels happy to come out and safe'. Pictured: Justin and John Fashanu Amal, who was nine when her uncle died, remembers his death as one of the 'lowlights' of her life. 'I remember the night before he passed away as if it were yesterday,' she said. 'Justin (pictured with John above) had come over from the States and had come around for dinner' Amal remembers him helping her with her homework before promising to take her to Elton John's studio the following day, but he never turned up. Pictured: John Fashanu training with Vinnie Jones, as part of the Crazy Gang at Wimbledon 'He promised me the next day he would take me to Elton John's studio. He was learning to play the piano. He said: 'I'll play the piano and you can sing Amal.' 'So, then the next day I was really excited. I remember waking up super early and waiting by the window for him, but he never came.' After Justin's death Amal's mother Maria Sol Acuna, who was separated from her father, moved back to her native Spain, taking her daughter with her. There, she too encountered racism. 'My mum had eight brothers and sisters,' she recalled, 'and I've got 32 first cousins, all of whom are white. 'I was pretty much the only mixed-race kid in the school. Kids are kids so if they are going to attack you, they go for your weakness. 'If you are a bit overweight, they call you fatty. If you are a redhead, they call you ginger. I just happened to be the black one. 'Everything was negative: my hips were too big, my thighs were massive, my bum stuck out, my lips were huge, my hair was frizzy. 'They used to say: 'Ooh. You're like Coca Cola' because of my hourglass shape. It may be a compliment now, but it was a huge insult then. After Justin's death Amal's mother Maria Sol Acuna (above with Amal), who was separated from her father, moved back to her native Spain, taking her daughter with her There, she too encountered racism. 'My mum had eight brothers and sisters,' she recalled, 'and I've got 32 first cousins, all of whom are white. Everything was negative: my hips were too big, my thighs were massive, my bum stuck out, my lips were huge, my hair was frizzy' 'It was only when I moved back to Britain to go to Brunel University that I felt comfortable with who I am. 'London embraced me and became my home. I even got nominated for being the hottest girl in uni.' :: To follow the foundation on Instagram go to @thejustinfashanufoundation All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility