Queer Pro Soccer Ranks Thinning as Out Players Leave Teams, Are Cut

There are far fewer gay soccer pros playing for teams now than there were only a handful of weeks ago, as Josh Cavallo moves on and Jake Daniels and Jakub Jankto have been cut.

Three players may not sound like many, but those three in particular represent more than half of "the number of out gay professional players active on team rosters," OutSports noted. The tiny total number of out pro footballers was, until recently, a mere five, and now only two remain on the field.

The most recent loss to queer pro soccer was Jakub Jankto, whose "two-year contract [with] Italian Serie A club Cagliari expired on the last day of Pride Month," the LGBTQ+ athletics site explained.

OutSports recounted that Jankto, while on the bench, "was never substituted onto the field last season. Not once."

The writeup added that "it's thought the reason for him never being selected [last season] was more likely financial.

"Reports suggested Cagliari would have had to pay an additional tax sum if Jankto had played even one minute of first-team football, due to an unusual situation regarding foreign players' contracts at the time he signed."

As a result of the cut, the Czech-born player now "follows English forward Jake Daniels and Australian left-back Josh Cavallo into free agency," OutSports added.

Jankto posted a valedictory message upon his exit from the team, writing in Italian, "I'll never forget the Sardinian people and all the people who have always been close to me. I appreciate it very much.

"I wish you good luck to all the players and especially the fans," Jankto added. "I love you so much.

"A hug guys and always and in any case go Cagliari. Bye. @cagliaricalcio 🔴🔵❤️🙌🏻".

Fans showed Jankto the same affection with which they welcomed him out of the closet. "Good luck in everything ! ❤️" one fan summarized, while another offered a lengthier appreciation, writing that Jankto had "proved his worth" "with your professionalism, seriousness, patience and education..Even now with your kind farewell.

"We love you too and wish you all the best. Good luck, Kuba and come back to visit us❤️💙👏🔴🔵❤️🙌🏻".

Daniels was dropped by English team Blackpool in May, three years after he came out, becoming "the only openly gay professional footballer in English football," in the words of the BBC. Daniels was cut as part of a purge that saw a dozen players let go from the team.

OutSports recalled that "Daniels' decision to share his truth, at the age of 17, made him the first out gay pro in the British men's game since Justin Fashanu three decades previously."

The 20-year-old expressed defiance on social media, thanking "all the fans who believed in me, supported me through a crazy few years," as well as "all the staff for supporting me through 13 years of getting me to the point I am at today, and... all my teammates who have been on the journey with me," but vowing that he was not finished as a pro footballer, and expressing the hope that he might "find myself wearing a Blackpool FC shirt again!"

"I have people to prove wrong," Daniels went on to add. "My career is only just starting."

Wherever he goes next, his fans will be waiting. Posted one: "So proud of you, your career is just at the beginning! 🚀🌟"

Another added: "What you've achieved is amazing Jake and for most, only ever a dream. This is just the beginning of your new chapter. Absolutely no doubt at all that you will go from strength to strength 🤗💪🏻⚽️🩷".

As for Cavallo, he had "not made a first-team appearance since February 2024," OutSports relayed, and he "left Adelaide United upon the expiration of his contract."

Like Daniels, Cavallo's current status of not being with a team may turn out to be temporary: The sports news site reported that "Cavallo is likely heading for Europe, with various teams already vying to sign him."

Cavallo might be the most famous of the three, given his status as a groundbreaking out player. When he embraced authenticity, OutSports recalled, Cavallo "became the only out gay player active in a top-flight men's pro league, bringing instant fame and a public profile that has gone on to attract more than 1 million social media followers.

"Over the years," OutSports added, "he grew into the role of LGBTQ athlete advocate, but his soccer career has been repeatedly hampered by injuries and in the last season, selection issues."

All the same, Adelaide gave Cavallo a hero's farewell, featuring him in a social media post in which the team thanked him "for everything - on the pitch and beyond.

"Your legacy will never be forgotten," Adelaide added in its post.

Fans weighed in with similarly supportive messages.

"This guy literally saved lives," one person posted. "Wishing you every success mate 🙌".

Added another: "All the best Josh, immensely proud that you represented my team ❤️".