‘Being gay in men’s football is a very toxic place’

“You don’t belong on this earth” … “Why are you here?” … “Stop breathing.”

Since coming out as gay in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has received daily death threats and abusive messages on social media.

“When I first saw these messages it broke my heart,” Cavallo tells BBC Sport. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I’m trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then get put down because of who I am as a person. It’s disgusting.”

Midfielder Cavallo was at Adelaide United four years ago when he became the only openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

This summer he left Australia to join non-league Peterborough Sports, who play in front of crowds of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

The 25-year-old combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by speaking up on LGBTQ+ issues and using his profile – he has more than one million followers on Instagram – to champion equality and inclusion.

“Absolutely, we’ve got mountains to do,” Cavallo says when asked if football still has a problem with homophobia.

It took years for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I’m gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” he said in an accompanying video.

In 2014 former Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger announced he was gay after retiring from football.

Cavallo was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in Australia’s top flight when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“I didn’t know what was ahead of me. I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “It felt like the right time in my life. I wanted to take the next step forward.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh’s Truth’, went viral on social media.

“My mobile phone exploded with messages of support. It was overwhelming.”

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also offered support, writing on social media that “the world of football is far behind and you are helping us move forward”, while Adelaide United issued a statement backing their “remarkable” and “brave” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo quickly became a target of homophobic abuse by opposition fans.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were fined A$5,000 (£2,500) over anti-gay abuse from fans directed at Cavallo during a match.

“The things I’d hear were hurtful and derogatory towards my community,” he says.

“I didn’t react because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

There was a frightening incident at a petrol station in Australia, where Cavallo was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the coverage.

“That was a scary moment,” he recalls. “I remember thinking ‘this is real – people want to harm me’.

“Is it acceptable? Absolutely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“I hope the next person who comes out while playing football at a high level doesn’t have to experience the path I have experienced.”

Cavallo says the daily death threats and abusive messages have taken a toll on his mental health.

“It’s quite sad because I am having to explain why I deserve a place on the football field for being who I am as a person,” he says.

“We don’t sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

Cavallo’s decision to reveal his sexuality helped prompt 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the UK’s only openly gay active male professional footballer in May 2022.

However, there are no openly gay or bisexual players in the Premier League.

“It would move mountains,” says Cavallo on the impact a Premier League player coming out would make.

“But I’m not going to sugar-coat it. There are a lot of scary things that would come this person’s way. In the world of football, being an openly gay player is a very toxic place.”

Twenty-seven years after Justin Fashanu – Britain’s first openly gay male footballer – took his own life in 1998, Cavallo has spoken about the “toxic masculinity” that still exists in men’s football.

“You just need to go to a match and see the hostile environment and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he says.

“There is still a lot of work that needs doing to make sure there is a safe space in football for people like myself and Jake.

“We haven’t seen it (more players coming out) as much as we would like.

How has Cavallo been received in the dressing room at Peterborough Sports?

“Really positively. Everyone has been nice. The respect is there. I had offers in other countries before coming to Peterborough.

“It wasn’t about picking the club playing at the highest level. It was about finding a club where I was going to be comfortable. The way Peterborough Sports was sold to me was something I could be comfortable with and be who I am off the pitch.”

Tim Woodward, owner of Peterborough Sports, says there was never any doubt that Cavallo would be warmly welcomed by supporters.

“It was a big step for Josh to leave Australia but he has settled really well,” he says.

“I didn’t expect any homophobic abuse from our fans. They’ve really taken to Josh whenever he has played.

“We have systems in place to protect Josh should anything like that happen.”

Woodward said Peterborough Sports, who appointed former Hull City boss Phil Brown as manager in September, signed Cavallo after watching videos of him at Adelaide United.

“Josh said he wanted to come to England but was unsure at what level to pitch himself at,” says Woodward.

Cavallo says football has allowed him to have conversations inside dressing rooms about coming out.

However, he is critical of Fifa, world football’s governing body, after Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal, hosted the men’s World Cup in 2022.

The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is also illegal.

“Am I impressed that the World Cup is in countries that criminalise same-sex marriages, where people like me will be put in prison for just existing on that land? It’s scary,” says Cavallo.

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I’m about to be put in prison for being who I am – can you help me?’.

“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“There are countries that are huge in terms of football and fanbases and they don’t accept LGBTQ+ people. Those are the countries that tend to target me.”

Despite this, Cavallo says he will not stop speaking up.

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and educate people who want to learn more.

“Not everyone is going to like you for who you are. But I have found my family. I have found my community.

“My purpose is to create change. That’s what I’m here for.”