England's Football Association supports Football v Homophobia

From the FA's website;

Backing provided to the Justin Campaign's international initiative.

The Justin Campaign is delighted to announce The FA and Kick It Out’s endorsement and support for their “international day opposing homophobia in football - Football v Homophobia.”

Football v Homophobia, the brainchild of The Justin Campaign, is an international initiative which aims to unite communities and teams worldwide in their opposition of homophobia in football. With the newly agreed endorsement and support of The FA, The Justin Campaign is coordinating the second observance of the initiative in February.

The Justin Campaign is named after Justin Fashanu, the first openly gay footballer, who committed suicide in 1998.

The FA’s General Secretary Alex Horne commented: “The FA and its stakeholders have worked hard over the years in providing football for all and ensuring that football stadia are open to everyone and are both family and LGBT friendly.

"We’ve seen real progress over the last 20 years when it comes to tackling racism and that’s something football should be proud of. We also remain committed to our long-term goal of removing discrimination, such as homophobia, out of the game.”

Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair of Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaign, added: “Kick It Out is proud to support Football v Homophobia and LGBT History Month. The issue of homophobia is a key strand of our activity across both professional and grassroots football. Working with key partners, our role is to ensure it’s a topic high on the agenda and, using the blueprint laid down from our work tackling racism, dealt with just as effectively.

“The initiative will provide the game, be it clubs, players, supporters or activists, with an opportunity to showcase the work they’re doing to combat homophobic abuse and intimidation, in turn increasing public awareness at the same time.”

This new, collaborative approach to addressing homophobia in football at both a grassroots and professional level is welcomed by The Justin Campaign who have been working around the issue since 2008.

Darren Ollerton, Justin Campaign Director, concluded: “It fills us with great confidence that we approach the second ‘international day opposing homophobia in football’ with the endorsement and support of The FA and Kick It Out. The development of this unique partnership is sure to create real opportunity and equality for LGBT people in football as we work towards a future where football really is for all.”