The international work of organisations such as the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) has been crucial in establishing a wider understanding of the issues surrounding homophobia in sport.
In 2009, the group organised a meeting of gay football fans at the Nou Camp, home to Spanish footballing giants Barcelona. The meeting saw gay football fan groups from across the continent gather to discuss the issues facing gay football fans.
The group has also led the way on a number of crucial campaigns, including drawing up an anti-discrimination declaration that was signed by 33 German professional clubs.
The EGLSF has also been active in the World Outgames, which in 2009 were held in Copenhagen.
Two EGLSF-run workshops were organised as part of the 2009 Outgames, one looking at the responsibilities of groups to combat homophobia, and another defending the right of the LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community to participate in sport.
Sharp focus
Clearly, issues of homophobia in football are not merely confined to the UK, and this was brought into sharp focus by the coming out of two European referees in 2009.
Turkish referee Halil Dincdag was sacked by the Turkish Football Federation after he announced that he was gay, on the grounds that, as homosexuals are declared 'unfit' for compulsory national military service, Dincdag would also be physically unfit to referee sporting events.
Dincdag was left shocked by the decision, explaining: “I have not committed a crime, I have not defamed my profession. I’m only a homosexual.”
Dincdag stated that he had been forced into “self-exile” since coming out. “Since then, my life has turned into hell. I have inadvertently become a standard-bearer of the homosexual struggle,” he said.
Dutch referee Jeroen Sanders was more optimistic about his decision to come out, though he was well aware of the potential reaction. "It’s clearly still an awkward topic. Everyone has to weigh the pros and cons up for themselves, but hopefully this gives the impetus for others to have the courage to talk about it."
Homophobic comments
2009 also saw a Danish club forced to sack its goalkeeper following homophobic comments he made in his autobiography. Goalkeeper Arek Onyszko was sacked by his club, FC Midtjylland, a move backed by the EGLSF.
The organisation's co-president Pepe Garcia-Vazquez explained: “We welcome this move by FC Midtjylland to make a stand against such a public display of hatred for gay people by one of its players.
"The decision to sack Mr Onyszko sends out a powerful message by one of Denmark’s leading football clubs that homophobia in the game is totally unacceptable”
Incidents such as these illustrate exactly why the presence of the EGLSF is so important in the ongoing fight to combat homophobia in sport.
Further reading
> Paris Foot Gay
