On 1 October, the former national football player is awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany – for his efforts to remove the taboo on homosexuality in football. Meanwhile in the UK, another professional footballer has anonymously expressed his fear of coming out during his active career.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany, will award 15 citizens* with the Federal Cross of Merit, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. This year’s motto: “United and there for each other”. Hitzlsperger will be honoured, among other things, for his commitment against discrimination in professional sports. Virologist Christian Drosten also receives the order – for his voice of knowledge and reason in the Corona crisis.

Hitzlsperger has “…de-tabooed homosexuality in football and sport”.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

In 2014 Hitzlsperger was the first German ex-professional to come out as gay. Since then he has been heavily involved in voluntary work, including the projects “Football for Diversity – Football against Homophobia and Sexism” and “Show your Colours – for a Germany open to the World”. At the beginning of the year, he celebrated a great professional success: He became CEO of VfB Stuttgart.

In the reasons given by the Office of the Federal President for the nomination of the 38-year-old, it is said that his commitment has shown how important the elimination of prejudices is for successful coexistence in an open society:

“Through his public coming-out in 2014 as the first former national football player in Germany, he has broken the taboo on homosexuality in football and sport and contributed to a broad and objective debate on discrimination in sport”.

Hitzlsperger told press agency dpa that being selected for the honour fills him with “great joy”. Personally, he said, he was experiencing a small but steady improvement in the way professional football dealt with homosexuality. He has been able to go his way free of prejudice to the top of a Bundesliga club.

“The award is a confirmation that my socio-political commitment is having an effect and motivating other people to get involved as well”.

Another professional is afraid of coming out

From 2001 to 2005, Hitzlsperger also played for the British top club Aston Villa, where he achieved cult status under his nickname “Hitz The Hammer”, which fans gave him for his shooting power. He was only the second professional after Justin Fashanu (1) to come out as gay after a career in Great Britain. In June 2020, the British Thomas Beattie also revealed his homosexuality at the end of his active time.

Shortly after his coming-out, an anonymous letter from an active gay footballer came to light, explaining why he too was currently only able to come out after his career. Now the Justin Fashanu Foundation, which is also mentoring the first professional, has published another anonymous letter from another professional gay footballer from the UK.

In it, he talks about his life, his fear of coming out and what needs to change in football. Since the age of 14, he had known that he was gay – something which, as he was aware, would not go well with his career aspirations as a professional footballer.

“Living a secret for years has had a massive impact on my mental health. And forming relationships is virtually impossible for me too.”

When he finally came out to family and friends, many things became easier for him – and through their love and support he even found the strength to confide in some of his teammates. However, a public coming-out, according to the professional, is absolutely out of the question at the moment.

“It’s so sad for me to say this, but even though society has moved on massively since I was a teenager the game simply hasn’t.”

The letter, which was published in July, touched him deeply. He has been in contact with the Justin Fashanu Foundation ever since – and hopes one day to meet the author of the first letter. The knowledge that he is not alone and that the Foundation supports him makes life a little easier – but it is not a permanent state of affairs. He finishes his letter with the words:

“Those running it [football] need to put more measures in place so that gay players know they will get the support they need.”

The Justin Fashanu Foundation, founded in his honour, is run by his niece Amal Fashanu.

1) Justin Fashanu came out as a homosexual in 1990 – during his active career. In 1998, a 17-year-old claimed that Fashanu had raped him. A media hunt began, whereupon Fashanu took his own life. In his farewell letter he declared that being openly gay and famous had been very hard. He would take his own life because he knew that he would not get a fair trial because of his homosexuality. The boy had sex with him willingly and had wanted money for it the next day. When he refused, the 17-year-old threatened him.

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