John Fashanu’s daughter praises Thomas Beattie for coming out 30 years after uncle – and hopes more footballers will

JOHN Fashanu’s daughter has praised Thomas Beattie for coming out as gay – the first English male player to do so since her uncle Justin in 1990.

Amal, 31, said it was fantastic to see Thomas take the “brave step” but added it was “sad” he felt he had to wait until retirement to go public.

Amal, who set up the Justin Fashanu Foundation to tackle homophobia in sport, described it as a “big step” but said there was still a “long, long way to go.”

She told the Sun Online: “It’s fantastic to see Thomas make this brave step. 

“But, equally, it is sad that he felt he had to wait to retire in order to be open about his sexuality.

“Time and time again this is what players say to me who are playing now. It’s not right. And Thomas’ admission shows how much more work we need to do in the game.

“This is a big step forward but we have a long, long way to go before the modern game reflects the society footballers are living in.

“We need to make sure those playing now feel able to come out and know they will be supported every step of the way.”

Beattie, from Goole in Yorkshire, said he felt like he could not announce he was gay while playing for a living.

The 33-year-old played for Hull’s youth team and had spells in the US, Canada and Singapore in a ten-year career.

Beattie said: “I never thought about coming out whilst playing.

“I used football as a form of escapism and in many ways it saved me.

“I want to share my story in hopes that there will eventually be more support for people in a similar situation.”

Beattie is only the second English professional footballer to come out, 30 years after Amal’s uncle Justin, who killed himself in 1998.

Amal’s Dad, John, 57, admitted feeling “guilty every day” when asked about Justin’s suicide on TV’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. It was revealed John paid his brother “hush money” not to reveal his sexuality.

Justin – also Britain’s first black £1 million footballer – came out in 1990, but killed himself in 1998.

Last month The Sun revealed how Amal was to hold a summit with the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Following talks, they have agreed to provide psychological support and counselling to those considering going public.

But Amal warned the game still needs to do “so much more”.

She said: “The reality is the players living a lie still don’t feel the game is doing enough to support them to come out.

“So many players are suffering in silence. This is a problem football really needs to face up to and defeat.”

Watford captain Troy Deeney recently claimed there is probably one gay player in every football team.

Ex-Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, 38, came out as gay in 2014 – four months after he retired.

Former Leeds player Robbie Rogers came out as gay in February 2013.