France’s World Cup-winning striker Olivier Giroud believes it is “impossible” for a professional footballer to come out as gay.
The Chelsea star, speaking to French newspaper Le Figaro, said it is an “understatement” to say the sport is not ready to accept an openly gay player.
“When I saw the German Thomas Hitzlsperger come out in 2014, it was very emotional,” he said. “That was when I said to myself it’s impossible to display homosexuality in football.”
Hitzlsperger, a former German international, is the most high-profile former footballer to come out, doing so a year after announcing his retirement.
There are currently just two openly gay professional players in world football, Minnesota United’s Collin Martin and Sweden’s Anton Hysen. Read more