Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo has highlighted the ongoing challenge soccer has in combatting homophobia.
Year after Cavallo made history when he shared that he was gay he’s still getting regular abuse and death threats.
The player shared information on the level of abuse he cops during a recent podcast appearance.
Speaking on the Fifpro Footballers Unfiltered podcast Cavallo said he still gets death threats on a daily basis.
“There’s multiple death threats that come my way daily still – in the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place. It’s something not everyone would be able to handle and go through.
“We’re a very, very long way off acceptance in this space. So, these are factors that people will consider in their coming out and they might not be out now, but coming out brings all this attention, it brings all this pressure, brings all this negativity that will affect their game in the long run.
“Absolutely come out, be yourself – but it also comes with a mountain of downsides as well that I don’t think people realise. I was tired of being hidden and tired of having to go around and hide from people and not live my authentic self. I understand that now looking back, all the negativity, all the things that come your way.”
Despite the abuse he gets Cavallo says coming out is still the best decision he’s ever made.
“We’re in 2025 now and so much has happened in the meantime. I’m proud of myself, the people around me, my support network, and how we’ve correlated and changed things around football, but we also have to realise there’s still a long way to go.”
