If one week has ever been illustrative of the dilemmas facing football and its attempts to find “shared values” in a globalized game, it is this one.
On Monday, 17-year-old Blackpool player Jake Daniels became the first professional male player in the UK to come out after Justin Fashanou in 1990. His courage to do so in the early stages of his career was rightly praised by fans, managers and players. in English football and marks a step forward in the fight to make men’s football a friendlier place for the LGBT + community.
By Wednesday, how and why clubs and players should show support for the LGBT + community became a hotbed of opinion after Idrissa Guy of Paris Saint-Germain withdrew from her team’s match against Montpellier at the weekend after players were asked to wear T-shirts with the number of the rainbow.
Rainbow has long been associated with the LGBT + community, and Gueye, a Muslim practitioner, withdrew from the game for “personal reasons,” according to manager Mauricio Pochettino, after doing so last season due to illness for the International Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia Day. May.
Since then, Gueye, a former Everton and Aston Villa player, has received support from national teammates Cheyho Kuyate of Crystal Palace, Pepi Mendy of Leicester City and Ismail Sar of Watford on social media, as well as support from President Mackie Sol. The hashtag #WeAreAllIdrissa spread on Twitter in support of the 32-year-old man with views ranging from openly homophobic to cases made for free speech in his defense.
PSG players wore rainbow numbers last weekend (Photo: John Berry / Getty Images)
LGBT + football fans have been thrown from a celebration in support of Daniels to doomed social media profiles discussing their right to love freely and expect a safe space in sports.
This, of course, has now become a cultural war and will continue to raise its ugly head as football seeks to maintain its wide reach as a favorite sport in the world, while defining the common values of all who play it.
In the last few days, it has become clear why the Premier League has never chosen to enter the rainbow number on the backs of players’ shirts as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign or any other related LGBT + event, completely avoiding the problem. Instead, players – usually selected by several such individuals – will engage with LGBT + fans during Rainbow Laces or bring support themselves.
The question without the right answer is whether players should be forced to participate in such events, although there is obvious hypocrisy in personal choice in such cases. If, for example, a player refuses to show support for the LGBT + community on his shirt at a one-time religious event, but advertises a gambling sponsor on the sleeve of the same T-shirt throughout the season, also challenging his beliefs, should clubs not call them?
Probably the most disappointing answer to all this is that too few clubs and managers have done just that. Only Leicester City’s statement contained real content, stating that “the club has spoken to Papi and discussed a potential interpretation of the publication, which has since been removed. It was not his intention to insult or suggest that he shared views that contradicted the long-established commitment of the Equality and Inclusion Club.
“Leicester City Football Club stands firm as an ally of the LGBTQ + community and is proud of the work it has undertaken in recent years to help create a safe and inclusive environment and to educate our people about the importance of alliance.
The PSG statement did not mention Gueye at all, while Watford’s best effort was to say they would “offer additional education and support to each of their staff” and Palace manager Patrick Vieira said he would hold ” internal conversation ”with each player who posts in support of Gueye.
Daniels came out on Monday with a positive reaction (Photo: Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images)
All clubs with participating players have made campaigns or statements in support of the LGBT + community, but when that matters, they have not stepped up much to find out where they are drawing the line for players who seem to share Gueye’s views. Cynical voices would say that clubs will never take a really firm stand on issues like this, the Black Lives Matter movement or any other social justice campaign, because players are assets they cannot afford to lose or damage.
But more moral wringing of hands is needed over whether players should be forced to do things against their will. Players’ contracts will link them to the club’s performance, including its sponsors, on the team during the season, and it is common for clauses to dictate that if anything else, the club’s reputation will deteriorate, leading to sanctions. However, as with any contractual dispute, there are ways to get players out of one-off cases, such as Gueye.
Giving players a choice to participate, for example by allowing Gueye to carry a blank number rather than a rainbow digit, seems like a simple option, but given that it would effectively mean a player who actively demonstrates that he is anti -LGBT, maybe it’s a step few would really take.
There is little demand from clubs and players to want to show support for important causes and then admit when they have made a mistake, but this is too rare.
The fact that a teenager and his club have shown how best to deal with complex issues like this – with clarity, honesty and compassion – shows that there is a way to navigate difficult waters. Blackpool is consulting with the LGBTQ + charity Stonewall, along with other organizations, to work with Daniels to ensure it has the right support to come out when it is ready.
Since then, club vice-president Marvin Ekpiteta has apologized for historic homophobic Twitter posts a decade ago, to which Daniels replied: “What you said ten years ago at the age of 17 does not define the man you are today. I am proud to be your teammate and to be part of the Blackpool family – we are all moving football forward together. “
It was the most mature exchange of the week in this swirling mess of debate by a 17-year-old who represents the future of football in this country.
The big question about football is how it will ensure that players like Daniels feel part of the sport, while finding a clearer answer to future problems, including players and social justice campaigns. If the support of the LGBT + community really matters to clubs, then they need to talk when it’s hard, not just when it’s convenient for them.
(Photo: Aurelien Meunier – PSG / PSG via Getty Images)
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