Some interesting news from Sweden - Anton Hysén - son of Glenn (ex-Liverpool and Fiorentina) - a 20-year-old who has played in Sweden's top football league, has revealed he is gay in an interview with the Swedish football magazine Offside.
Hysén now plays in Sweden's fourth division, but he is still the first Swedish footballer to come out of the closet.
”There are many people who can't handle homosexuals. And there are racists who can't handle immigrants. It may happen that a club shows interest and then the trainer finds out that I am gay. But that is their problem, not mine,” he said to Offside.
Even in a country like Sweden, which is known for its tolerance, the Swedish football website fotbollskanalen.se had to close the comment section in its story on Hysén 's announcement after abusive comments began to proliferate.
If he were alive today, Justin Fashnau would have just turned 50. The issue of homosexuality in sport remains a thorny one and Hysén joins the handful of actively-playing and openly-gay male athletes in sport. We admire his courage.
