Exclusion, ridicule in team chat: Josh Cavallo makes serious accusations against Adelaide United. He even questions his decision to come out. His former club publicly defends itself.
Four years after coming out, gay Australian professional Josh Cavallo has made serious accusations against his former club Adelaide United. “Under the new management, it became clear that I was no longer allowed on the pitch for political reasons. It was hard to accept that my own club was homophobic,“ the 26-year-old wrote on Instagram: ”I was angry because people thought I wasn’t playing due to injuries, when in reality it was internal homophobia that put me on the bench.”
Before his departure last summer to English sixth-tier club Peterborough Sports, decisions were made by people in positions of power “that blocked my opportunities, not because of my talent, but because of my sexual orientation,” Cavallo wrote. “When I then saw teammates making fun of a photo of me and my partner in a group chat, it only made the pain worse.”
Adelaide United defends itself against accusations
Australian first division club Adelaide United defended itself against Cavallo’s accusations in a public statement. The club “strongly rejects these allegations, including any suggestion that Adelaide United is homophobic,” the statement said: “All decisions regarding team selection are made solely on sporting merit.”
Cavallo described the situation differently. His performances in training were “constantly ignored,” he said. This made him doubt whether coming out during his active career was the right decision. “I felt incredibly isolated and wondered if it had been a mistake to share my story.” He asked himself, “Should I have kept my sexuality a secret?”
A new start to bring back the love of soccer
Cavallo came out publicly in 2021—the first player in the A-League, Australia’s top soccer league, to do so. He recently reported publicly that he still receives “daily death threats” today. Based on his experiences, he believes the soccer world is still a very “toxic place.”
The left-back now plays in the lower leagues of English soccer. “This new start in the UK has helped me breathe again, and I hope I can rediscover my love for this sport that means so much to me,” Cavallo wrote.