This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
July 11, 2020 - A Premier League player has revealed the 'absolute nightmare' of concealing his sexuality from his manager and teammates.
There are currently no openly gay players in the Premier League, with the last player to declare his sexuality in England being Justin Fashanu in 1990.
Fashanu's niece, Amal, runs the Justin Fashanu Foundation, which has released a letter from the anonymous player detailing his struggles.
'I am gay,' the player wrote. 'Even writing that down in this letter is a big step for me. But only my family members and a select group of friends are aware of my sexuality.'
The player, who has known he was gay since the age of 19, expressed his fear of disclosing his truth, saying, 'I feel trapped and my fear is that disclosing the truth about what I am will only make things worse.'
He added that he hopes to one day be able to share his sexuality with his team and manager, but feels that football is not yet ready for a player to come out.
'The game would need to make radical changes in order for me to feel able to make that step,' he said.
