Thomas Hitzlsperger sheds light on dressing room challenges and lack of unity in men's football for gay players

Former professional footballer and advocate for diversity in sport Thomas Hitzlsperger has said the dressing room is the main reason as to why more male professional footballers have not come out.

“It’s not the media, it’s not the fans, it’s the dressing room,” Hitzlsperger said, who received the Football Business' Global Ambassador Award on Friday evening for his work in promoting diversity within the German Football Association (DFB).

“You can unsettle a dressing room,” he told The Times in an interview. “If you come out as gay, you’re the centre of attention. All the media would go to the training ground and want to interview the player and his team-mates.

“Let’s say you’re not a key player, but suddenly you are the most prominent player in that squad. It can change the atmosphere, can’t it?"

Hitzlsperger, who came out after his retirement, recognises that societal norms surrounding masculinity have contributed to the slower progress in the men's game.

“It’s not an issue in the women’s game which is great. But in the men’s game, it is. It is one thing to say, ‘I accept you are gay or lesbian,’ and another thing to say, ‘You’re gay, but I have to get changed next to you every day; we have to shower with each other.’ It’s different. I’ve heard players say they would be very uncomfortable. What if a player just waits until you finish showering and then he comes in, just avoids you. You don’t want that, do you?”

The 41-year-old also expressed his disappointment in the lack of unity and activism among European players and national associations during the controversial World Cup in Qatar.

“Qatar was a step back, unfortunately,” he said.

“There is frustration and anger. Qatar are paying for the party so they dictate the rules. If they said, ‘Look, Gianni Infantino [FIFA president], you make sure these players don’t wear the armband,’ he makes sure that it doesn’t happen.

“I remember the press conference of Infantino. It was an absolute disgrace. He tried to divide Europe and the rest of the world. He wants to unite people through football but he does exactly the opposite because he’s fed up with some of the European countries," Hitzlsperger expressed, referring to Infantino's hour-long speech ahead of the World Cup where he said "he felt Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled and like a migrant worker," and claimed that Western countries were hypocrites criticising Qatar saying, "What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons."

“Infantino said, ‘You have to decide if you want to send a message, but it comes with a consequence or you shut up. If you’re going to continue doing it, we are going to punish you.’ They all caved in. Harry Kane [England’s captain] was the first player to have to make that decision [and not wear the armband for fear of sanctions] and the team and the FA caved in. Infantino tested them, and they caved in. I know it’s really difficult, you’re at a World Cup, and within hours Harry Kane is not going to phone Manuel Neuer and some other captains and say, ‘What are we going to do?’ It is tough.

“I work for the German FA as an ambassador. I tried to encourage the players, ‘You have the platform, OK? The world looks at you at the World Cup and if you send out that message we are pro-diversity it’s so powerful.’ I can’t force it on the players. It has to come from the player’s heart.”