Tuesday 17 May 2022 08:31 AM Gary Lineker praises Blackpool footballer Jake Daniels for coming out as gay trends now
Gary Lineker said today that he expects 'many, many others will follow' after Jake Daniels became the first male professional footballer to come out as gay in Britain since Justin Fashanu in 1990.
The ex-England captain said other gay footballers have likely been 'waiting to see how it pans out for whoever's first' and could now be encouraged to 'follow suit' after the decision by the 17-year-old Blackpool striker.
Match of the Day host Lineker told BBC Breakfast this morning: 'He is going down a path that many, many others will follow - they've probably just been waiting to see how it pans out for whoever's first. And I think once they see that the overwhelming majority of people will be more than accepting, others will follow suit.'
He added: 'I think he will be massively accepted. Not just in his own dressing room but players he plays against. I think, overall, dressing rooms wouldn't think about it. They will consider if you're a good footballer or not. That's all that matters.'
Daniels revealed yesterday that he had dated girls in the past to hide his sexuality but added: 'I just don't want to lie any more.' Team mates had been 'supportive' and he brushed off the prospect of verbal abuse from the stands, insisting he would ignore it.
Fashanu, who played for teams including West Ham, Newcastle and Norwich City, came out late in his career, spanning 1978 to 1997. He killed himself in 1998. Only one other professional player – Australian Josh Cavallo – is openly gay at present. The Adelaide United midfielder went public last year.
The 17-year-old is only the second top-flight British football player to come out - after Fashanu - and he made the move in a bid to tackle the scourge of homophobia in the sport.
Daniels was 'keen to break the stigma' and has become the only openly gay male pro currently playing in the country, and the second in the world - after Cavallo - in a trailblazing moment for the men's game.
Speaking with Sky News, he said: 'I just processed and processed every day about how I want to do it, when I want to do it and I feel like now is just the right time - you know I feel like I'm ready to tell people about my story.
'I want people to know the real me and lying all the time just isn't what I wanted to do. It has been a struggle but now I do feel I am ready to be myself and be free and just be confident with it all.'
Daniels, described as 'an inspiration to us all' by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is the first Briton in the men's professional game to come out publicly as gay since Fashanu in 1990 at the age of 29.
He told Sky Sports: 'It's been quite a crazy year. I'm 17. I've signed a professional contract. I've scored 30 goals this season and I've just made my first team debut in the Championship, coming off the bench against Peterborough.
'And now I have decided to come out. Everything has happened at once but it feels right. When this season started, I just wanted to prove myself as a player. I think I have.
'So this was the one last thing in my head that I knew I needed to do. Now it's out, and people know. Now I can just live my life how I want to and you know what? It's been incredible.'
Gary Lineker told the BBC today that he expects 'many, many others will follow' after Blackpool's Jake Daniels came out as gay
Pictured: Blackpool FC's Jake Daniels, who is just 17 years old, has come out as gay in a televised interview yesterday
Speaking to Sky Sports (pictured above), 17-year-old Jake Daniels said he felt the time was right and he was ready to come out
The only openly gay man to have played in English soccer's professional leagues was Justin Fashanu, who was not active at a high level when he made the announcement in 1990. The ex-Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found dead at 37
Cavallo, 22, who plays for Australian team Adelaide United, came out as gay last year to then become the only out pro in the world.
Other players have come out after their careers were over, including former Aston Villa player Thomas Hitzlsperger, 40, and ex-Hull City youth's Thomas Beattie, 35.
Daniels, who has been with Blackpool FC since the age of seven, said he first realised he was gay at the age of five or six but thought it would be something that would change as he got older because football and being gay 'didn't really mix'.
He told Sky Sports: 'I've had girlfriends in the past to try and make all my mates think that I'm straight and it was just a massive cover up so it has been a struggle.
'And then in school, everyone always used to ask me 'are you sure you're not gay' and it was like 'no I'm not' because I wasn't ready but I just don't want to lie anymore.'
After scoring 30 goals for U18 side and being named the club's top youth player of last season, Daniels made his senior debut with the club this month in the team's 5-0 loss to Peterborough.
The 17-year-old came on as an 81st minute substitute and is now the first openly gay active professional football player in England.
Asked if he thought it was something he had to hide, he said: 'Yeh I think so obviously because there's no one out that I do need to hide it and wait until I've retired to maybe come out but I just knew that that was such a long time of just lying and not be able to have what I want.'
Daniels said on the Blackpool club website he had been inspired by other sportsmen to reveal his sexuality.
'It's a step into the unknown being one of the first footballers in this country to reveal my sexuality,' he said.
'But I've been inspired by Josh Cavallo (Adelaide defender), Matt Morton (Thetford manager) and athletes from other sports, like Tom Daley, to have the courage and determination to drive change.
'The subject of being gay, or bi or queer in men's football is still a taboo. I think it comes down to how a lot of footballers want to be known for their masculinity.
'And people see being gay as being weak, something you can be picked on for on the football field. It's an easy thing for people to target.
'The way I see it is that I am playing football and they are shouting stuff at me, but they are paying to watch me play football and I am living my life and making money from it.
'So shout what you want, it's not going to make a difference.
'I won't stop people from saying that stuff, I just need to learn how to not let it affect me.
'I am hoping that by coming out, I can be a role model, to help others come out if they want to.
'I am only 17 but I am clear that this is what I want to do and if, by me coming out, other people look at me and feel maybe they can do it as well, that would be brilliant.'
Daniels was full of praise for Blackpool and his team-mates at the Sky Bet Championship club.
He said: 'Blackpool have been absolutely amazing too. I am with them every day and I felt safe.
'My team-mates have all been so supportive about it and everyone has had my back.
'They've been asking tons of questions, they have all been intrigued and their reaction has been brilliant. It's the best thing I could have asked for.
'Of course, everyone
