MPs call for homophobia to be kicked out of football
By Josh Haggis
As the new Premier League season gets underway this weekend, MPs have called for a campaign to eradicate homophobia in professional football.
Stephen Williams, the Lib Dem Communities Minister, argued that anti-gay abuse in the sport needs to be tackled with the “same vigour” as racism, reports the Daily Mail.
“It isn’t acceptable that footballers still feel the need to hide their sexuality out of fear of abuse,” said Williams.
“I want homophobia to be treated with zero tolerance, just the same as racism, and I want clubs, stewards, the police and the FA to work even harder to achieve this.”
A spokesperson for the party added: “The powers are already there. This doesn’t need fresh legislation – what it needs is a change of emphasis.”
Meanwhile, sport stars including Michael Sam and Gareth Thomas have recently urged people to take part in a worldwide survey about homophobia in professional sport – find out more here.