I still receive daily death threats after coming out – Cavallo

Josh Cavallo, a midfielder for Adelaide United who declared his gay in 2021, claims he still receives “multiple” death threats daily.

The 25-year-old claims that coming out as gay players has “a mountain of downsides” and that football is still “a very toxic place” for openly gay players.

The only top-flight professional footballer who was openly gay when Australian Cavallo emerged was Cavallo.

“Every day I get multiple, multiple, and multiple death threats,” I hear. And it’s very sad to see,” he stated on FIFPRO’s Footballers Unfiltered podcast.

Being an openly gay player in the world of football is very toxic. Not everyone would be able to handle and go through this, in my opinion.

We’re still far away from being accepted in this space, in my opinion.

“So, these are things people will think about when they come out, even though they might not already be, because coming out brings all this attention, pressure, and negativity that will negatively impact their game over the long run.

It’s challenging to say to people, “Always, come out, be yourself.”

“But it also has a lot of drawbacks, which I don’t think people realize.”

Cavallo, who was 21 when he came out, wishes he had done it sooner despite the threats.

The midfielder, who got married to his partner Leighton Morrell in 2024, said, “I was tired of being hidden, tired of having to go around, hide from people, and not live my authentic self.”

“And then I would ask, Why hasn’t this occurred in football?” Why hasn’t anyone come out and played themselves and achieved success?

In a video he said he was gay and was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally comfortable talking about in my life,” Cavallo said in a video he posted on social media in October 2021.

Jake Daniels, a Blackpool player, came out in 2022 inspired by his post. The only publicly gay, active male professional football player in the UK is Daniels, who is currently on loan at non-league Warrington Rylands 1906.

Jakub Jankto, a Czech Republic midfielder, made his debut in February 2023. Cagliari, a Serie A club, is playing for the 28-year-old in Italy.