Getafe footballer Jakub Jankto announces that he is homosexual: "I don't want to hide anymore"

The Czech soccer player Jakub Jankto, who belongs to Getafe, announced this Monday that he is gay.

"I am homosexual and I do not want to hide anymore," he said through a video that he has posted on his social networks.

The 27-year-old winger, who is playing on loan at Sparta Prague, becomes the first player in the Spanish league to openly declare his homosexuality, a subject that has always been taboo in the world of professional men's football. .

“Like everyone else, I have strengths, I have weaknesses, I have a family, I have friends, I have a job in which I have done the best I could for years, with seriousness, professionalism and passion.

Like everyone else, I too want to live my life in freedom.

Without fear, without prejudice, without violence, but with love", explains the footballer, who has created a Twitter account just to publish the video.

Jankto's announcement has generated a significant wave of support from the world of football.

The club in which he currently competes, Sparta Prague, stated that the player had already discussed his sexual orientation with the board of directors, the coach and the club's colleagues some time ago and that everything else is part of his personal life.

"No more comments.

No more questions.

You have our support.

Live your life, Jacob.", concluded the Czech club.

Getafe, which still has the rights to the Czech, also joined the messages: "Our utmost respect and unconditional support for our footballer Jakub Jankto."

Our utmost respect and unconditional support to our footballer Jakub Jankto 💙 https://t.co/7D05Mhnhko

— Getafe CF (@GetafeCF) February 13, 2023

Both the official Twitter profiles of LaLiga and that of the Premier League have responded to the announcement with the message "football belongs to everyone", while UEFA has defined him as "a true inspiration that has the support of all European football ”.

Clubs like Barcelona, ​​Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich or Ajax have also expressed their affection for him.

From Getafe they define Jankto as "a very correct and charming boy, but he did not fit in sportingly".

The Czech only played 15 games before going on loan this summer, but he showed that his concerns went far beyond sport.

"He is a graffiti artist, he visited many museums, he is very interested in languages ​​and fashion," they point out from the azulón club.

He arrived at Getafe in August 2021 for six million euros after developing his entire career in Italian football (Sampdoria, Udinese and Ascoli).

International on more than 40 occasions with the Czech Republic and with a market value ceiling of 15 million euros (according to Transfermarkt) he went back to his country where he has been a regular starter for Sparta Prague until an injury that has left him out since october

Last June he played against Spain in the Nations League.

Other cases in the world of football

You have to go back to 1990 to find the first statement of its kind by an active footballer, Justin Fashanu, and another would not occur until October 2021, when Joshua Cavallo, Australian midfielder for Adelaide United, spoke out.

In May of last year, Jake Daniels, 18, became the first active European professional footballer to come out as gay since Fashuano.

“I've known he was gay all my life, but now I feel like I'm ready to say it and be myself.

I don't want to lie anymore, it's suffering," Daniels said then.

Previously, Fashanu, who played for teams like Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, had to endure rejection from his former teammates when 23 years ago, aged 29, he came out as gay in an interview with The Sun

.

His career took a nosedive and he no longer moved up from lower-tier teams.

His sister called him an outcast.

He left.

He was accused of sexual abuse.

And he ended up committing suicide at the age of 37.

Between one announcement and another there was that of Olivier Rouyer in 2008. The French striker came out of the closet years after retiring as a player and after finishing his career as a coach.

In 2021, Australian Cavallo came out as gay when he was 21 years old.

The winger received a wave of support through social networks and was pointed out as a source of inspiration by other young people.

However, his reality is still exceptional in the world of football.

The player did not attend the recent World Cup in Qatar for fear of rejection of gays in the Arab country.

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