Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter
Jake Daniels, the 17-year-old Blackpool
striker, has said that he wants to be a
role model for others in football after
becoming the only active professional
player in Britain to come out as gay.
The teenager’s announcement
prompted an outpouring of support
and positive messages from leading
figures in the game, who described it as
a significant day for English football.
Daniels is the first professional player
since Justin Fashanu in 1990 to come
out in the British game and only one
other male player in top-flight football
around the world at the moment has
done so: 22-year-old Josh Cavallo, of
Australia’s Adelaide United.
Daniels told Sky Sports News: “I am
hoping that by coming out, I can be a
role model, to help others come out if
they want to.
“I am only 17 but I am clear that this
is what I want to do and if, by me com-
ing out, other people look at me and feel
maybe they can do it as well, that would
be brilliant; if they think, ‘This kid isbrave enough to do this, I will be able to
do it too.’ I hate knowing people are in
the same situation I was in.
“If a Premier League footballer does
come out that would just be amazing. I
feel like I would have done my job and
inspired someone else to do that. I just
want it to go up from here. We shouldn’t
be where we are right now.”
Daniels said he had known since the
age of five or six that he was gay.
“I’ve had girlfriends in the past to try
and make all my mates think I’m
straight, and it was just a massive cover-Times Crossword 28,292 across down Yesterday’s solution 28,291
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P C I R I T N T
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Newspapers
support recycling
The recycled paper content of
UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%up. So it has been a struggle,” he said.
The number of openly gay professional
footballers across the world is tiny,
probably as a result of homophobic atti-
tudes, but Daniels’s example could
open the floodgates, with clubs such as
Manchester United and Manchester
City, and former players such as Gary
Lineker, Rio Ferdinand and Jamie
Carragher, all expressing their support.
Gary Neville, the former England
and United defender, said: “It is a day of
great importance for him and for
Continued on page 61‘I want to be inspiration’
2GM Tuesday May 17 2022 | the timesSp ort
Refreshed Woods raising hopes
as he prepares for US PGA
Page 56‘Everything is better’
es
May 17 2022 |||||||||||||||||| the timesNew rule to outlaw South
African’s water carrier ruse
Page 58Erasmus thwarted
IAN MACNICOL/GETTY IMAGESBen White laments the own goal that opened the scoring for Newcastle before a second compounded the pain for Arsenal and their manager, Mikel Arteta, inset
New row over
Chelsea cash
Martyn Ziegler, Matt LawtonMott handed
white-ball role
Elizabeth AmmonThe sale of Chelsea to a US-led
consortium could be derailed by a
dispute between the government and
Roman Abramovich over the distribu-
tion of the proceeds.
According to government insiders,
the Russian billionaire is refusing to
accept a sale structure proposed by
Treasury officials, with one source
saying there is a fear that Abramovich
“is ultimately willing to let Chelsea go
under”. It had been proposed that all
the £2.6 billion from the sale to the
Todd Boehly-led group go into an
escrow account — a holding account —
until the government is satisfied it can
go to a charitable foundation to help
victims of the war in Ukraine.
The same source says Abramovich
and Chelsea are insisting that the
£1.6 billion debt from Chelsea’s parent
Continued on page 59Matthew Mott is the surprise choice to
lead the England men’s limited-overs
teams — and his appointment could be
confirmed as soon as tomorrow.
The 48-year-old head coach of the
Australia women’s side is understood to
have impressed the recruitment panel
of Rob Key, Sir Andrew Strauss and
Tom Harrison, and overtook Paul
Collingwood as the preferred candidate
after interviews last week.
Mott has overseen huge success for
Australia since taking charge in 2015.
They have won 40 of their past 42 one-
day internationals and lifted the World
Cup last month. They are also the T20
World Cup holders.
The former Queensland and Victoria
batsman also coaches the Welsh Fire
women’s team in the Hundred but
Continued on page 57Newcastle ruin feeble
Arsenal’s Euro dreams
Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League
next season are no longer in their hands after a dismal
display at St James’ Park resulted in a 2-0 defeat.
Tottenham need only to beat relegated Norwich to
seal fourth and a Champions League place, pages 62-6317-year-old footballer becomes first openly gay male English player for a generation
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