The brother of England's first openly gay footballer, Justin Fashanu, has claimed that he was not gay but simply wanted attention.

The English Football Association (FA) has launched its long-awaited homophobia awareness and inclusion program while pledging its full support for any footballer willing to openly admit that they are gay, but some believe the FA must put in more concrete measures for any chance for the message to be successful. 

High-profile English footballer Joey Barton has suggested that “archaic” team managers and coaches are to blame for the dearth of openly gay footballers, in a documentary hosted by the niece of the late Justin Fashanu which went to air in Britain this week.

German national football captain Philipp Lahm has suggested that football fans and the wider public are not quite ready for the sight of openly gay professional footballers just yet.

SYDNEY: The world’s biggest and longest established lesbian soccer club – Sydney’s very own The Flying Bats – are once again on the hunt for new and returning players for 2012’s upcoming football season, with the club introducing an online registration system this year to help make joining a team easier than ever before.