The Dane claimed it would be the reception of supporters rather than team-mates which would be most likely to discourage a player from coming out as gay.
Newcastle had Justin Fashanu ... although he only made a substitute appearance in one game ... and that was the last we saw of him.
What I don't understand is why any player would feel the NEED to proclaim he was gay.
What point would it prove?
Would he want special treatment? Would he expect to shower alone? Would he want the rules to be changed so he could wear stiletto's?
What has a person's private life got to do with football?
Anders Lindegaard: "As a footballer I think first and foremost that a homosexual colleague is afraid of the reception he could get from the fans.
"My impression is that the players would not have a problem accepting a homosexual.
"Homosexuality in football is a taboo subject.
"The atmosphere on the pitch and in the stands is tough.
"The mechanisms are primitive, and it is often expressed through a classic stereotype that a real man should be brave, strong and aggressive.
"And it is not the image that a football fan associates with a gay person.
"The problem for me is that a lot of football fans are stuck in a time of intolerance that does not deserve to be compared with modern society's development in the last decades.
"While the rest of the world has been more liberal, civilised and less prejudiced, the world of football remains stuck in the past when it comes to tolerance.
"Homosexuals are in need of a hero. They are in need of someone who dares to stand up for their sexuality."
Source: Newcastle United Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
