German football coach comes out as gay, sparking debate on openness in men's sport
Following the coming-out of a youth coach at FC St. Pauli, Uli Hoeneß has spoken out in favor of greater openness about homosexuality in football.
"I don't see any problem with it at all. And I honestly don't understand why it's even being debated," the honorary president of FC Bayern Munich told RTL/ntv. "If something like this happened at Bayern Munich, the person in question wouldn't face any issues—instead, they'd receive full support. If they were attacked in the media or online, we would defend them just as we do with all our people."
Recently, St. Pauli's U19 coach Christian Dobrick publicly came out as gay, coupling his announcement with criticism of men's professional football. "In the professional game, gay men are still seen as aliens," the 29-year-old youth coach of the Hamburg-based Bundesliga club said in interviews with Stern magazine and RTL.
Homosexuality remains a taboo subject in men's professional football, despite calls—particularly from fan representatives—for a more open approach. To date, no active player in Germany's top three divisions has come out. In women's football, however, a player's sexual orientation has long been a non-issue.
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