Football and Fashion |

Gareth Thomas, the previous captain of the Welsh rugby team has made a public statement about his support for gay footballers and his desires for the breakdown of prejudices that he has seen towards homosexual people in the sport.

He is regarded as the most high-profile sportsmen in the UK who is openly gay and he has recently made his remarks in a BBC documentary. He stated that many talented players are being turned off the sport because of its homophobic nature.

In the documentary he commented, “If the Football Association were to issue a statement saying that they would take a hard line on any homophobic behaviour in the game then more talented footballers would join in the sport.”

The documentary has recently aired on BBC3 and is presented by Amal Fashanu. Amal Fashanu’s uncle is Justin Fashanu, who was an openly gay footballer. After he came out he received a lot of abuse for being gay and ultimately committed suicide in the late 1990s. In the documentary Ms Fashanu confronts her father who was hostile to his brother after he revealed that he was gay.

The documentary features an interview with her father, John Fashanu, where he states, “I’m sick of the scandals that I hear day after day, I have a name to protect and my brother is tarnishing it. I wouldn’t even like to get changed in the same room as my brother, and I’m fairly sure the rest of the football world feels exactly the same way.”

Justin at the time commented about his brother’s remarks, “I thought he was a more tolerant man and I am disappointed that he feels this way.” In the documentary John says that he has certain regrets about his behaviour about his brother’s homosexuality and his reaction to it.

Thousands have marched from all over Cairo in support of al-Ahly and they all congregated in the capital centre, Tahrir Square. Fans within the city had already taken care to set up barriers that blocked off the square so that they could all meet up.

Once most had arrived the large group headed towards the interior ministry and surrounded it chanting out to the leaders demanding their rights and threatening that if they do not receive any rights then they will use their own methods to get them. They added that martyrs are loved by God, insinuating that there is little that would stop them.

The crowd was mostly younger men although during the march many women also joined in carrying al-Ahly and Egyptian flags. While the main goal of the gathering seemed to be to demand freedom, each different marchers had their own particular messages to convey.

While some choose to express anger at the governors of the Port Said, some at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, some at the interior minister, and just in general to the police that were monitoring the event. Despite what many thought, the event was planned and not as a result of the violence that caused the death of 70 people at the Port Said football match this week.

Supporters did however bring up the violence that occurred at the game stating that the Scaf is the reason why these disasters continue to occur with one supporter at the rally explaining that if the Scaf is not able to make a football match safe to attend it is impossible to imagine that they could bring stability and security to the entire country. Others are asking that the Scaf and police be held responsible at trials to bring honor to the martyrs that gave their lives for the cause.

Ryan Giggs and David Beckham have recently indicated that they would like to be considered for the football team competing at the 2012 Olympics. Nearly 100 players received letters from the Football Association inviting them to apply to be part of the Olympic team. Currently only seven of those selected have refused the invitation.

They can be three overage players selected for the squad and Giggs and Beckham are hoping that they will be two of these players selected for the team. The letter asked players to write back if they did not want to be included in the selection and the vast majority have not. Darryl Seibel is from the Olympic Association and he has stated, “The players understand what an opportunity this is for them to perform at the highest level of their sport.

The fact that we have only seen a few refusals confirms what we expected, that there will be a very big interest among players in the sport to compete for the British team at the Olympic Games this summer.” There has been no information released about the players who have refused to be selected but it is known they are from several clubs across the country.

In order to fight racism in football, the Prime Minister has called for there to be more black people in managerial positions in the sport. The Prime Minister has stated, “Footballers are role models in our society and it is important that they put across the message that there is no place for racism in the United Kingdom.”

In recent weeks the issue of racism in football has come into the spotlight after two significant players have been involved in racial scandals. Luis Suarez was recently given an eight match ban for racial abuse targeted towards another player. The club also faced criticism because their supporters were seen with T-shirts supporting the player’s actions.

John Terry, the England captain and Chelsea player, has also been accused of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, the defender from  Queens Park Rangers.” Mr Cameron continued, “Football has an enormous capacity for good in this country and this is something that should be celebrated.

The sport has an incredible ability to tackle racism and set an example for people across the country. Campaigns such as Show Racism the Red Card have made an enormous difference and I know that in the future the Football Association are going to be working hard to eliminate racism in the sport.

“Many people, including myself, have become deeply concerned over recent racial events in the sport. My position on racism is absolutely clear, there is no place for racism in this sport, in this society and in this country.

Those involved in football happen to be role models for this society and it is important that we have a racially diverse group of leaders in the sport. I’m very glad to see that the Premier League are working hard on my vision to make sure that racism in football is kicked out forever.”

Footballer Dean Windass has revealed that he hit rock bottom when his playing career came to an end and that he had attempted suicide. The 42 year old, whose many former clubs included Bradford, Middlesborough and Hull, has shocked the footballing world by admitting he tried to hang himself, the same way that Gary Speed took his own life, and giving up on his fight against depression.

Windass has told The People newspaper that in the two years since retiring he has cried every single day, and whilst those outside people seemed to think they lived a charmed life, he was in such a deep, black hole that he couldn’t see any way out of it. He says that it was just over a week ago t hat he hit the bottom and decided to end it all, first trying a overdose that didn’t work, and then deciding to hang himself.

Windass spoke frankly about he felt so along and truly believed that he has nothing more to live for. He sees the two failed attempts as a wake up call, that he realises how much he has to sort himself out and that is why he has chosen to speak to the paper. He added that the public perceived him as a big, tough man who could take anything that was thrown at him, and that he wasn’t ashamed to admit he wanted to end it all.

Windass, who in 2008 scored the stunning winner in the Championship play off final which saw his team Hull promoted to the premier league, is calling on the PFA, Professional Footballers Association, to assist their member more in what can be a traumatic and difficult transition from playing to retiring. He says that there are hundreds of footballers who find it hard after retiring, and the PFA needs to do more to help them.

The football club Darlington have recently confirmed that they are going into administration. In recent weeks the future of the club was in doubt and these uncertainties about its future were confirmed when Raj Singh, the chairman of the club, announced that administrators had been called in.

It was initially hoped that a local group of business people were going to be able to take over the club but after several meetings a deal was unable to be struck. This is not the first time that Darlington football club have gone into administration, and they’ve struggled with their finances for nearly a decade having gone into administration three times previously.

An announcement on the club’s website from Mr Singh read, “It is very sad news that we have to inform our fans that the club has being taken into administration. When I became part of this club in 2009 I did not expect this and we have been trying to make cutbacks to save the club but unfortunately these have failed.

We have also been seeking out an offer for someone to take over the club and meet its running costs but unfortunately I have been unable to find a suitable candidate. It is my hope that as the club enters administration someone will be found who will have more success in taking Darlington football club forward.”

Mr Singh has mentioned that he has a great regrets about not being able to keep the club going and is worried about the points deduction that they might now face. He said, “I really hope that the fans understand the position that I’ve been put in, I have worked very hard for the club and have taken it to great heights but unfortunately I failed to sustain these heights, I just hope I don’t face too much unnecessary criticism.”

Gary Ablett, the former footballer for Everton and Liverpool has recently died after a battle with cancer, he was 46 years old. David Moyes and Kenny Dalglish led a tribute to the coach and player at Stanley Park. Mr Ablett won the FA Cup as well as two championships while he was at Liverpool and he was also the first player to win the cup  with both teams.

In 2010 he was diagnosed with lymphoma while he was working at Ipswich Town. In his career he also played for Birmingham City, Wycombe and Sheffield United. On Monday, the St Andrews club held a one-minute silence in memory of the player before the match.

Mr Dalglish commented, “This is a sad day for anyone who has connections with Liverpool football club and especially for Gary’s family. He faced a long and challenging battle with cancer and the only respite we get from his death is knowing that he is no longer in pain.

I can remember Gary as a great football player all the way back to the start of his career. He was not just dedicated to football itself but he was also dedicated to every club that he played for. He always served his team with outstanding pride.”

Mr Moyes, the current manager of Everton, has said, “My sympathy goes out to everyone who knew him and especially his family. He was a wonderful man who was liked by everyone and was a regular visitor to Finch Farm.”

Steven Gerard said of his death, “Everyone who plays for Liverpool and Everton has a huge amount of respect for Gary and we all learned a great deal from him, it is incredibly sad to hear of his death and everyone who knew him will miss his presence in football.”