The players have been targeted since at least March | Photo Pixabay (not the men mentioned in the story)
British tabloids are being slammed for seemingly threatening to out a top bisexual football player.
The Sun and the Daily Star on Sunday have been accused of engaging in a ‘witch hunt’ to out the Premier League star.
The papers wrote how the footballer offered £10,000 to his on-off male partner to keep their relationship secret.
Sources tell GSN that reporters from these papers have been pushing on the player to come out, even though they do not wish to do so.
Even the player’s 21-year-old former partner, who works in fashion, has said he fears a backlash if he comes out.
Football player’s ex-partner: ‘[Coming out] could ruin his career’
The campaign features male and female football players
‘It could ruin his career,’ they said.
‘He feels like he’d face constant abuse and bullying from the terraces.’
The anonymous has a child with his female partner.
He added: ‘A lot of his friends in Premier League teams know my man is bisexual.
‘They’ve no problem with it, they are actually extremely supportive.
‘It isn’t the players that are the problem – although he is guarded with who knows.
‘It is because of the backlash from the fans that he is terrified of it coming out.
‘He’s scared about chants and torment from the stands. His relationship with me is strictly secret.’
Tabloids slammed for ‘witch hunt’
Ed Connell, the chair of the Gay Football Supporters Network, told Gay Star News:
‘I find it particularly distasteful that a national newspaper is so preoccupied with this story especially when large proportions of the media have decided to behave much more responsibly.
‘What this newspaper fails to appreciate is that by running these stories, they are almost certainly doing much more harm than good.
‘A gay or bisexual player will out themselves when they feel that the climate is right and the player concerned is perfectly entitled to choose when that time is.
‘Until then no one should be speculating and encouraging a witch hunt in this unsavory way.
‘In the unlikely event that The Sun were to out this particular player, I would anticipate an enormous backlash from the LGBT community and the football family.’
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