Just half of football fans think homophobia is a serious problem in men’s game

Many Brits expect opposition fans to react badly to a player coming out

Just over half of football fans believe homophobia is a serious problem in the men's game, according to YouGov polling. Blackpool's Jake Daniels became the first openly gay male footballer in the English professional game on 16th May, citing Josh Cavallo coming out as an inspiration behind his decision. "I am hoping that by coming out, I can be a role model, to help others come out if they want to," he said. "I am only 17 but I am clear that this is what I want to do and if, by me coming out, other people look at me and feel maybe they can do it as well, that would be brilliant." While the reaction to his news has been largely positive, it remains to be seen how fans in stadiums will react. Fresh polling from YouGov can reveal that 22 per cent of football fans believe homophobia is a 'very serious problem' in professional football, with an additional 30 per cent considering it a 'fairly serious problem.' 15 per cent of football fans surveyed said they didn't know, while 33 per cent either don't consider it a serious problem, or even a problem at all. These figures are closely reflected by the general population, with the main difference being a significantly larger proportion - 30 per cent - saying they don't know. As the graph below illustrates, 66 per cent of the public would expect the reaction of a player coming out to be positive, though 39 per cent of football fans believe opposition fans would react negatively. Despite this element of pessimism regarding opposition fans' reactions, half of football fans say the issue of homophobia in the game is better than it was 10 years ago, though a quarter don't believe any progress has been made.