Four years ago, Australian Josh Cavallo came out. Now he is making serious accusations against his former club. The club reacts.
The first openly gay professional footballer, Josh Cavallo, has settled scores with his former employer in Australia.
“It was hard to deal with when I realized that my own club was homophobic,” the 26-year-old wrote about his ex-club Adelaide United on Instagram: “Under the new club management, it became clear to me that I was not allowed to be on the pitch for political reasons.”
Cavallo makes serious accusations – Club reacts
Approximately six months after his departure from the Australian first division club, the left-back made serious allegations. “No matter how much I performed or improved, my performances in training were constantly ignored,” emphasized the former Australian youth international, who, due to this situation, had wondered “whether I shouldn’t have kept my sexuality a secret.”
Cavallo had announced he was homosexual four years ago during his time in Adelaide. The club “categorically denied” the accusations.
All decisions regarding the lineup were made “exclusively on a sporting level,” the club wrote in a statement.
After more than four years with United, Cavallo moved to English sixth-tier club Peterborough Sports in the summer, after not having played a single league game in his last season Down Under.
Cavallo criticizes former teammates
“When I saw a group chat of my teammates making fun of a picture of me and my partner, it only amplified my suffering,” said Cavallo, who has played four times for his new club in England so far and emphasized that he can “breathe again with a new start in Great Britain.”