The former captain of Bayern Munich, Philipp Lahm, was at the center of a controversy after a preview of his autobiography, which will be published on February 22, where he thinks about the taboo of homosexuality in football.
The Premier League footballer admits that he is gay
Instead of encouraging the footballers to come out of the closet, the idol of the Bavarian team considered that the best thing is that they do not do it and continue to hide it to avoid possible harassment from the press, other players and fans.
“There is still a lack of acceptance in the world of football and in society in general,” he says. blades in his book “The Game: The World of Football”, alluding to the fact that gay athletes should not tell anyone but their inner circle about their sexual preferences.
In the same vein, he explained that not all players or fans would be careful to understand and respect him: “He will not be able to count on the same maturity in all his rivals or in the places or stadiums where he goes to compete.”
“You should endure insults and slander, who would accept that, that it aggravates you because you are who you are?”, Asked the world champion.
He also referred to the case of his former partner Thomas Hitzlsperger, who revealed his sexual orientation shortly after retiring in 2014. “I declare my homosexuality because I want this issue to advance in the world of professional sports,” the former midfielder revealed in an interview published by the daily Die Zeit.
In dialogue with Sky Sport and consulted on the statements he made in his book on football and homosexuality, blades He said: “I prefer to warn of the dangers. What to expect I think it’s my job to point out the dangers. But I would support anyone who takes this step. ”
The footballers who decided to get out of the closet
While the statements of the German travel around the world, a publication of over 800 football players Bundesliga who decided to support gay colleagues to talk freely about their lives. “This is the free decision of every individual. But we want all those who decide to be able to be sure of our full support and solidarity “, says the statement made in 11 Freunde magazine.
“It’s a great campaign and I’m also very happy that there’s one like this,” he said. blades about this move. ” I think about the dangers in the stadium when you watch some games and see what happens in terms of violence and racism. If all the fans did what they did in the match between Münster and Würzburg, in which the public reacted to a racist insult and excluded the person and identified him, if this always happened, it would be desirable. ”