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Gay player hopes decision will end the ‘silence’

Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo hopes more professional footballers will follow his lead and publicly announce that they’re gay.

Cavallo yesterday became a rarity in professional sport: an openly gay male athlete.

‘‘I know there are other players living in silence,’’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘‘I want to help change this, to show that everyone . . . deserves the right to be their authentic self.

‘‘It’s astonishing to know that there are currently no gay professional footballers who are out and actively playing, not only in Australia, but around the world.

‘‘Hopefully, this will change in the near future.

‘‘I want to . . . let other players in my situation feel that they’re not alone.’’

The 21-yearold also spoke on a video released by his club on Twitter, revealing the ‘‘immense’’ support he had received in telling team-mates, friends and family and others he is gay.

‘‘It’s OK to be gay and play football,’’ he says.

‘‘It’s been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come out.’’

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart said Cavallo, who has played 19 games for the Reds after playing nine matches for Western United, has ‘‘shown incredible courage to be one of very few professional sportsmen to be this brave’’.

‘‘I have nothing but admiration and support for him, as do all the players and coaching staff,’’ Veart said.

‘‘I want all my players to feel comfortable and happy being their own person, on and off the park.’’

Adelaide’s assistant coach Ross Aloisi said Cavallo had been living with ‘‘an incredible burden and unimaginable pain’’.

‘‘To see Josh today, with that weight lifted off his shoulders, it makes me proud of how brave a man he is,’’ Aloisi said.

‘‘I want to . . . let other players in my situation feel that they’re not alone.’’ Josh Cavallo

Sport

en-nz

2021-10-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282209424066863

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