Openly gay Australian football player still faces online death threats
Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United, was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out
The first openly gay man to play in Australia’s domestic soccer league says he is still subject to death threats four years after going public about his sexuality.
Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United in the A-League, told the FIFPro Footballers Unfiltered podcast that “in a world of football, being a gay … player is a very toxic place”.
“I still think we’re a very, very long way from being accepted in this space, unfortunately,” he said.
Cavallo was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out, acknowledging his video message “took the world of football for a shock”. He still regards it as “the best move and decision” he is made, but warns that there’s “mountains of downside”.
In the podcast, he asked rhetorically: “Why has no one ever come out to be themselves and be successful and play?”
“And I understand that now looking back – all the negativity, all the things that come your way, there’s multiple, multiple, multiple death threats that come my way daily, still, and it’s quite sad to see.”