Vlatko Markovic, head of the Croatian football federation has said, unequivocally, that gay men will not be allowed to play football for his country. In s statement that only further enflamed gay rights activists all over Europe, he said that only healthy men were allowed to play for Croatia.
Of course, gay organizations the world over are calling for his immediate ouster. His outburst has gone so far as to endanger his country’s application for membership in the European Union. One of the EU standards clearly states that applying countries implement anti-discrimination rights.
Since his pronouncement, Markovic has withdrawn the statement, saying that he was misquoted and misunderstood. One gay rights organization has suggested that in order to prove his remorse Markovic have the team fly the rainbow flag at their next match.
Markovic’s actions have opened up a long avoided discourse on gay players in football, with gay organizations urging players to come out of the closet. The standard in international football has long held that no one asks and no one tells.
Of course, gay rights advocates find this sort of tacit acceptance to be less than they would like to see, which is an all out exposure of gay men in this sport or any other sport, for that matter.
It is estimated that as many as 10 per cent of professional footballers are gay men. However, the sport has such a macho personification, say authorities that it would be career suicide to openly admit to being gay. It has been rumoured that some gay players in Italy and Germany even have arranged fake weddings in an effort to hide their sexual preference.