Gary Lineker hopes a Premier League player will come out as gay during the Qatar World Cup to send a strong message to the host nation where homosexuality is a crime. The Former England striker told the Daily Mirror he knows two gay Premier League players who have been “very close” to coming out.
He said: “It would be great if one or two of them came out during the World Cup. I know for a fact some have been very close and contemplated it.
“There’s a couple I know, but obviously it’s not for me to say who they are.”
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The World Cup kicks off on November 20 in Qatar, a nation where same-sex sexual activity is punishable by seven years in jail. This week, Qatar’s World Cup chief Nasser Al Khater gave assurances to LGBTQ+ fans that they would be welcomed at the tournament, but obvious concerns remain with many worried for their safety.
To date, Jake Daniels of Championship side Blackpool and Australian Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United are the highest-profile players to have come out. Asked why more had not followed, Gary said: “Fear of the unknown, I imagine.
“Perhaps they are worried what their teammates might think, although they probably already know. It seems insane that it should even be a thing.
“People say, ‘Yeah, but the crowds’. And I say, ‘Well the crowds chant anyway’.
“You’re always going to get a few idiots. But it’s easy for me to say as I’m not in that position.”
The Match of the Day presenter hoped Cavallo and Daniels would prompt other players to come out, and suggested the first Premier League player to do so would make themselves more marketable. He said: “I was hoping, because there are lots of players that are having to live a lie.
“I’m sure it’s very difficult. But I think what we’ve seen so far is that the feedback and the response, it will be incredibly positive.
“If I were an agent of a big footballer, if I knew one of my players was gay, if he was a top player, I’d say, ‘Be the first big player’. I mean, as an agent, thinking in terms of promotion and stuff, you’re going to be huge.”
Gary said he turned down the opportunity to host April’s World Cup draw because of his record of criticising the awarding of the tournament. “It’s a different FIFA now,” he added.
“But I felt, rather than where I said I’m there to report on the World Cup rather than support it, doing the draw for FIFA would be supporting the World Cup and supporting the decision.”
He said the BBC’s coverage of the World Cup would “openly” discuss the controversy around Qatar as a host nation – including its record on human rights and the migrant workers who built the stadiums. Elsewhere, England captain Harry Kane has promised to wear an anti-discrimination, rainbow-coloured OneLove armband during the tournament, even without FIFA approval.
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