On Monday, Blackpool’s Jake Daniels became the first UK male professional footballer since Justin Fashanu in 1990 to publicly come out as gay.

17-year-old Danielle shares her story sky game And Gary Neville thought his decision would go down in history as a momentous day for English football…

“I was incredibly proud to see a 17-year-old able to interview this level of quality,” Neville said. sky game,

“I couldn’t do this in my twenties or mid-twenties. What he just did took incredible courage. We’ve been in the locker room for many years and it would seem unimaginable to announce that you’re gay. I can’t imagine that.” Could do how hard it was.

“It’s a day of great importance for Jake and his family, but also for English football. He’ll go down in history. It’s a big, big moment for football players. It’s so important, that.”

“I was in the PFA management committee maybe 15-20 years ago, which was a major issue, a major issue in the management committee meetings was that we didn’t have enough players to come out comfortably and say that he’s gay.

“How do we deal with it? How can we solve this problem? The game didn’t handle this issue well at all. I think it’s just a matter of handling this problem well from the fans’ point of view.”

Jamie Carragher praised Blackpool’s role in helping Jake tell his story.

“I know the manager there, Neil Critchley,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “I think it’s really important, the role of the football club, if there are other players in the future, how Blackpool has gone about it.

“Definitely Neil Critchley will be a huge support mechanism for Jake in this role and that’s what he will need to move forward. He seems to have a huge talent as a player and we hope he does very well.” .

“I can only repeat what Gary said about Jake’s courage. But it’s not just about Jake, it’s about the football club, and I think he’s an example to others that How to deal when other players come out. In the future.”

A Premier League statement read: “We support Jake and believe that football is for everyone. Clubs and communities are stronger when everyone on and off the field feels welcome. It is up to all of us to do so.” Therefore, we all must raise our voice against discrimination and support the LGBTQ+ community.”

A statement from the FA read: “Jake, you are an inspiration to all of us and we fully support your decision to be open about this part of us. Football is a sport for everyone, with diversity at its heart.” And it’s a hugely positive step as we strive to create an inclusive sport that we can all be proud of.”