Australian footballer Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United in the A-League, became the first top-flight male footballer to come out as gay in October 2021. Since then, he has become a vocal advocate for the LGBT+ community and has called on Premier League stars to do more to support the cause.
Cavallo believes that a simple gesture such as captains wearing a Rainbow armband all season long can make a big difference in promoting inclusivity and acceptance. He said: “Yeah, how cool is that. It’s great for myself, but it’s also great for the little Josh’s coming up or whoever’s watching on TV who don’t want to go to their local soccer game because they’re scared.”
“Then they see their idols wearing it and cheering them on and it’s such a normal thing. They’d be like ‘wow that’s so cool, I can fit in’. It’s nice to see stuff like that but we’ve just got to push more than that. It’s not just an armband that we’re wearing right.”
“There’s got to be further discussions, clubs wearing an armband saying ‘right this is our responsibility, now we have to speak up on topics like this’. It’s a bit like [Jordan] Henderson, you can say one thing, but there actually has to be actioning behind it to prove that they actually stand by that.”
Cavallo also highlighted the importance of following up words with actions, citing Jackson Irvine as a positive example. He said: “A good example is Jackson Irvine, who plays for Australia. He always wears a rainbow armband, what he stands for is absolutely phenomenal and it’s not just what he looks like, it’s how he speaks.”
“He’s actually following up his actions behind it. It’s really nice to see there are people growing like that, but this is a battle that we’re fighting at the moment.”
Cavallo’s call for action comes in stark contrast to the recent refusal of Sheffield United skipper Anel Ahmedhodzic to wear a Rainbow armband during the Rainbow Laces period. Cavallo condemned such actions as “disgusting” and emphasized the harmful impact they can have on the LGBT+ community.
He said: “It’s disappointing. The thing I would say to them is this could be your brother, it could be your mum or dad or sister who is experiencing this or going through this. To see them taking it away is basically saying they’re not included or accepted,” he added.
“So it is quite hurtful. They don’t realize how impactful that could be to the LGBT+ community. It breaks my heart every time I see something like that. It’s not on. If you’re a football player, you have certain responsibilities.”
“There’s certain things you can or can’t say on the pitch because you’ll get sent off. There’s things you can and can’t do in the public as a professional athlete. So doing that for me, is disgusting.”
“It’s just saying you don’t like associating yourself with a certain group or people, which for me is my life. So, I find it quite disgusting.”
