A Twitter account allegedly maintained by an anonymous sports star about to come out as gay has been conspicuously deleted, just one day before the user would have revealed his identity.
@footballergay captured international attention for his tweets, in which he promised he hoped “to break the mould” and planned to “reveal his identity soon.” Other tweets had said that the user would announce his identity today, July 24. Instead, he deleted the account.
Related: Gay pro footballer promises he’s coming out soon… very soon
“I thought I was stronger. I was wrong,” he tweeted just before deleting his account. Previous tweets had hinted at his identity, indicating that he was under the age of 23 and played in English Football League Championship.
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“Just remember that I’ve got feelings, without coming out I can’t convince anybody otherwise, but this isn’t a hoax. I wouldn’t do that,” the user added. The BBC also reports receiving several private messages from the user detailing his fears and reasons for coming out.
Nonetheless, observers have already accused the user of planting a hoax given the timing of the deletion. In either case, men’s soccer has only a handful of out-gay players, including US player Robbie Rodgers and Swedish player Anton Hysen. Other players, like France’s Olivier Giroud, have called it “impossible” for male players to come out as gay, and criticized the air of homophobia over the sport.
jjose712
In the case it was not a hoax, i think he deal incredibly bad with the whole situation.
If you feel the need to come out, do it. There’s nothing wrong in testing the waters with your club and you fellows, but the whole think looked like a publicity stunt.
And frankly i’m very tired of the whole “a gay footballer is going to come out”, it’s at least the fifth summer with the same crap.
It’s becoming recurrent when there’s no real news.
And don’t get me wrong, a soccer player who decides to come out has balls of steel, because there’s a lot of far right ultras linked to the teams, and some people in power positions are not exactly gay friendly.
But this whole thing looked like a complete joke
I think if a gay athlete is going to come out (an athlete with a high profile) it’s going to be in an individual sport (athletism, tennis, swimming) where your success depends of way less people
Granny Spoth
In Europe, the problem isn’t the far-right, but the Islamists, who are very much into soccer, and very influential in the broader Muslim community.
charlie_jackpot
That ‘islamist’ line is a load of racist trash – delete your account
ConnorBryant1658
In the case it was not a hoax, i think he deal….- You are really right But i am here not only to discuss this article but I AM LOOKING for NEW boyfriend. My whatsapp number is 17732425635 . Drop me a line nly if you are single and really miss for love and pleasure..
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Hmmm looking like he has no balls……
Brian
He just wasn’t strong enough to reach his gooooooooooooooooal.
lovethyneighbor
The problem with this article and the tweeter is you can never tell, who is being sincere. Many people have played games within and outside the gay community to draw attention to LGBTQ+ members.
I do feel for the individual if he is afraid to come out and reveal his identity; however, I respect anyone’s right to privacy. No one should be forced out of the closet as it can do some real damage. Unfortunately, there are many families that would rather have their child perpetuate the “norm” in many countries for their issues with homophobia being first; however, some parents fear that their child made become the victim of the ‘haters’ because of the insane heterosexual white supremacists that are finding themselves in places of power.
Trump isn’t solely responsible for this backstepping to the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, etc., Putin is another; the North Korean President, the Brazilian President, and the British Prime Minister are all promoting the same hateful rhetoric. When you couple this with ministers or evangelical ministers running around encouraging the murder of LGBTIAQ+ members. It’s okay to demand everyone lives by the ten commandments unless you just happen to be acting like the voice of God encouraging the slaying of those perceived as sub or non-human.
am
The Sun has an interesting material on that footballer that kinda confirms that it wasn’t a hoax. It’s just that the management and the owner are afraid of the backlash from the fans that might happen. It also has some insights from anonymous sources about how closeted gay footballers in leading teams are mobbed by their colleagues. Google it, “Premier League ace wants to come out but club is worried about backlash from fans”,
JED08
It didn’t have the feel of a hoax to me, and this article does confirm that. That puts a different spin on it where it’s hard to be mad at him about it. I believe that he honestly wants to come out, geesh, he’s told everybody but the general public. His employer is asking him not to do it. If I were in his position I am not sure what I would do, but that would certainly give me pause.
ptb2016
In the 1970s I used to go to a club in London where two very well known soccer players who played with Chelsea and England would often be seen. We are everywhere as we all know, but some people and some places and activities can be so homophobic that colleagues make it impossible for them to be themselves in public. Sad world we still live in.
Donston
So, let’s say it’s legit. Let’s say he is genuinely struggling with publicly being out and wants the world to know that he has non hetero-leaning preferences, love, affections and ambitions. But his team and club are keeping him scared. If that’s the case I do feel sorry for him. I really do. However, the constant hyping up and teasing of his “coming out” is still tacky and sensational. And it still feels like a BS story to me.
Celtic
I have been saying all along this was a hoax. So, he got his jollies. Whoop dee doo.
RIGay
You gave this far more energy than I. As soon as I realized it was a SPAM TROLL story, I stopped caring or reading.
Morg
baffo journalism agent queerty
youarederanged
I bet 99% of Queerty readers fell for this. Believe everything people tell us, great journalism lol.