Australia’s first openly gay male professional footballer, Josh Cavallo, has accused Adelaide United of being homophobic.
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Cavallo, who publicly announced he was gay in October 2021, moved on from United in May last year.
The club said in a statement at the time that Cavallo was doing so to explore an “opportunity overseas”.
In a statement that he posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Cavallo wrote that “the fans deserve honesty” as the 26-year-old alleged he had opportunities “blocked” by “people in power” at the club.
“It’s taken me a while to digest how my time at Adelaide United ended, but I think the fans deserve honesty,” he wrote.
“Leaving the club had nothing to do with football. Decisions were made by people in power that blocked my opportunities, not because of my talent, but because of who I choose to love.
“Under the new management, it became clear that I wasn’t allowed on the pitch because of politics. It’s hard to swallow when I realised my own club was homophobic.
“I was angry because people thought I was sidelined based on injuries, when in reality, it was internal homophobia that kept me on the bench. I stayed professional, kept my head down, and worked hard every day which I’m proud of.
“Yet no matter how much I produced or improved, my contributions were continuously ignored. It brought a lot of negativity and affected my wellbeing as a professional footballer.”
When Cavallo came out as gay in 2021, his announcement was met with widespread praise from the football community — both in Australia and internationally.
“It’s absurd that coming out is a brave thing to do in football,” tweeted former England and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker at the time.
“It is though, and I’m full of admiration for Josh for treading a path hopefully many others will follow.”
Atletico Madrid’s France World Cup winning striker Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, said he was “proud” of the Australian.
Cavallo, however, wrote in his statement on Tuesday that what he alleged unfolded at Adelaide United was his “fear” when he decided to come out in 2021.
“This was exactly the fear I had about coming out, seeing prejudice affect my career in modern day,” he wrote.
“For the first time, I actually questioned if I should have kept my sexuality a secret. This brought up fears I had about coming out publicly, that being myself would affect my career.
“I felt incredibly isolated and wondered if I’d made the mistake of sharing my story. I felt things going backwards, not just on the pitch, but in the one place I thought was a safe space and after seeing a group chat of teammates mocking a picture of me and my partner only added to this heartache.”
Cavallo is now playing for English club Stamford and wrote that the “fresh start” in the UK has “helped me breathe again”.
“Despite the way it ended behind the scenes, I refuse to let it ruin my connection to this city. Adelaide is where I found my wings,” he added.
“To the fans and supporters: thank you for your passion and backing. You deserve honesty and success. You were incredible to play in front of. Thank you.”
In response, Adelaide United released a statement on Tuesday saying it was “extremely disappointed” by the claims made by Cavallo and “categorically rejects the allegations, including any suggestion that Adelaide United is homophobic”.
“All on-field decisions relating to team selection are made solely on footballing grounds,” the statement added.
“Adelaide United has always been committed to fostering an inclusive environment for players, staff and supporters and we remain proud of our ongoing work to promote inclusion across football.
“Strengthening inclusivity must remain an ongoing focus for the game, and the Club looks forward to hosting the fourth annual Pride Cup this weekend against Melbourne Victory.
“The Club will not be making any further comment at this time.”
JOSH CAVALLO’S STATEMENT IN FULL:
It’s taken me a while to digest how my time at Adelaide United ended, but I think the fans deserve honesty.
Leaving the club had nothing to do with football. Decisions were made by people in power that blocked my opportunities, not because of my talent, but because of who I choose to love. Under the new management, it became clear that I wasn’t allowed on the pitch because of politics. It’s hard to swallow when I realised my own club was homophobic. I was angry because people thought I was sidelined based on injuries, when in reality, it was internal homophobia that kept me on the bench. I stayed professional, kept my head down, and worked hard every day which I’m proud of. Yet no matter how much I produced or improved, my contributions were continuously ignored. It brought a lot of negativity and affected my wellbeing as a professional footballer.
This was exactly the fear I had about coming out, seeing prejudice affect my career in modern day. For the first time, I actually questioned if I should have kept my sexuality a secret. This brought up fears I had about coming out publicly, that being myself would affect my career. I felt incredibly isolated and wondered if I’d made the mistake of sharing my story. I felt things going backwards, not just on the pitch, but in the one place I thought was a safe space and after seeing a group chat of teammates mocking a picture of me and my partner only added to this heartache.
This fresh start in the UK has helped me breathe again and I hope I can fall back in love with the sport that means everything to me. Despite the way it ended behind the scenes, I refuse to let it ruin my connection to this city. Adelaide is where I found my wings. To the fans and supporters: thank you for your passion and backing. You deserve honesty and success. You were incredible to play in front of. Thank you.
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