Former Aston Villa player and social activist Thomas Hitzlsperger has said that he believes the reason why more male footballers have not come out as gay is because of the pressure it would put on the dressing room.
The Germany international was a Premier League fixture in the 2000s and 2010 when the midfielder started for Villa, West Ham, and Everton, and the player also enjoyed spells at Lazio and Wolfsburg.
After retiring from his playing career in 2013, Hitzlsperger came out as gay and has since used his platform to raise awareness for diversity issues within the game with the German FA.
On Friday evening, Hitzlsperger received the Global Ambassador Award at the Football Business Awards for ‘promoting and encouraging diversity’ in the sport over the last ten years.
In an interview with The Times, the 41-year-old – who remains the only openly gay player to have played in the Premier League – shared that fear of a ‘change in atmosphere’ amongst footballers has played a large role in stopping gay players from coming out.
Former Villa and West Ham midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger remains the only openly gay player to have turned out in the Premier League
The ex-midfielder came out in 2014 after retiring from playing and now works with the German FA to help improve diversity in the game
‘It’s not the media, it’s not the fans, it’s the dressing room,’ Hitzlsperger began. ‘You can unsettle a dressing room. If you come out as gay you’re the centre of attention. All the media would go to the training ground and want to interview the player and his team-mates.’
‘Let’s say if you’re not a key player, but suddenly you are the most prominent player in that squad. It can change the atmosphere, can’t it?’
Hitzlsperger was full of praise for the women’s game’s approach to homosexuality, but noted that it was entirely different in the men’s game.
‘It is one thing to say, “I accept you are gay or lesbian,” and another thing to say, “You’re gay but I have to get changed next to you every day, we have to shower with each other.” It’s different. I’ve heard players say they would be very uncomfortable.
‘What if a player just waits until you finish showering and then he comes in, just avoids you. You don’t want that, do you?’
The last player in the English football pyramid to come out publicly was Jake Daniels, Blackpool’s 18-year-old forward, and in so doing, Daniels became the first openly gay EFL player in 32 years.
In 2023, two international players came out on social media, Sparta Prague loanee Jakub Janto and Marbella FC goalkeeper Alberto Lejaragga, but neither Janto nor Lejaragga have high profiles in the media.
It was thought that Daniels’ announcement might empower others to feel comfortable coming out in the English game – there was a discussion with the Professional Footballers’ Association that some players might come out a group – but Hitzsplerger said that doing so ‘could possibly become a circus’.
Hitzlsperger also discussed the societal pressure that continues to act as a hindrance to allowing players to come out without judgement, with some optimism.
‘Nowadays, do you think anybody in the media would say anything [negative] about a footballer coming out? No. Nowadays you get so much applause if you are a public figure who comes out as gay, everybody says “brilliant”. And still there is a lot of fear
‘We feel uncomfortable saying who we are, probably not here in London, a big city, but rural Bavaria it can be. Where I come from is a very conservative, rural area and I feared the worst but that wasn’t the case.
‘Once I told my parents it’s almost overwhelming for them, but for so many years they’ve been proud of my achievements in football, so they didn’t turn around and say, “We abandon you now.”
‘But I know these stories from other people, they’ve been abandoned by their family but in my case that wasn’t true.
Jake Daniels (left) came out in May 2022 while playing for Championship side Blackpool
Hitzlsperger says he is more proud of his work as a diversity activist than his playing career
‘I’ve got the backing from my closest friends and family and it’s my duty to speak up because maybe somebody will listen to my story and be encouraged. Over the years I’ve got the confirmation. People come up to me and say, ‘It’s great what you did.’ I do feel a role model, and that’s the greatest privilege because once your career is over you want to find something.’
Hitzlsperger has held executive roles since his retirement from playing, most recently at his former club Stuttgart, but he says that he is more proud of his achivements as a ‘role model’ than those earned during his playing career.
But despite greater social awareness and campaigns such as the OneLove initiative, Hitzlsperger believes that damage inflicted to the movement during the Qatar World Cup, when captains were banned from wearing an armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights by FIFA, has seen attitudes ‘step back’.
Nations were threatened with sporting sanctions if they sported the banned rainbow armband, and Hitzlsperger decried the ‘frustration and anger’ borne in the wake of the furore.
‘Qatar are paying for the party so they dictate the rules,’ Hitzsplerger added. ‘If they said, “Look, Gianni Infantino [Fifa president], you make sure these players don’t wear the armband,” he makes sure that it doesn’t happen.
‘I remember the press conference of Infantino. It was an absolute disgrace. He tried to divide Europe and the rest of the world. He wants to unite people through football but he does exactly the opposite, because he’s fed up with some of the European countries.
‘Infantino said, “You have to decide if you want to send a message but it comes with a consequence or you shut up. If you’re going to continue doing it, we are going to punish you.” They all caved in.
‘Harry Kane [England’s captain] was the first player to have to make that decision [and not wear the armband for fear of sanctions] and the team and the FA caved in. Infantino tested them and they caved in. I know it’s really difficult, you’re at a World Cup and within hours Harry Kane is not going to phone Manuel Neuer and some other captains and say, “What are we going to do?” It is tough.
Harry Kane chose not to wear the One Love armband (pictured) after FIFA threatened sporting sanctions for captains that chose to don the symbol
Germany protested the ban ahead of their first match of the campaign in Qatar versus Japan
‘I work for the German FA as an ambassador. I tried to encourage the players, “You have the platform, OK? The world looks at you at the World Cup and if you send out that message we are pro-diversity it’s so powerful.” I can’t force it on the players. It has to come from the player’s heart.’
Germany performed a protest gesture, the starting XI holding their hands over their mouths to demonstrate the ‘silencing’ of the FIFA ban ahead of kick-off against Japan.
The side received vitriol on social media from those who believed the team had focused to heavily on ‘politics’ rather than football.
Hansi Flick’s team were knocked out of the competition after the group stage following defeat against Japan and a draw with Spain.
