Jakub Jankto will no longer play on behalf of Sparta Prague this season. The Czech midfielder, who came out two months ago, is mentally and physically unable to get on the pitch, he said in an official statement on Instagram. Jankto will step aside until the end of the season anyway. According to Sparta, he got into trouble earlier this week after he refused to cooperate with a traffic check and he stops playing football for ‘personal reasons’.
“The last few years, and especially the last year, so much has been going on around me that it’s better to take it easy,” Jankto begins the post. “It is important to think about my health. From the age of eighteen my whole life has been devoted to football. It brought me a lot, cost me a lot and learned a lot from it. This was not the best year for me sportingly , but I have always given my all to the club and I am all the more sad that mentally and physically I cannot continue the hunt for the title and the cup.”
Jankto was flooded with reactions after his coming out, from people inside and outside the football world. For example, he was greeted with loud cheers by his own fans when he entered the field in his first minutes. “I can’t find enough words for how much I want to thank Sparta Prague,” the midfielder continues. “Thanks to all players, trainers and fans. I also appreciate the support of all the people around me, including the media. I have always felt mutual respect.”
Worldwide people rallied behind Jankto after his coming out. The Czech followed fellow footballers Josh Cavallo (Adelaide United) and Jake Daniels (Blackpool), who also announced that they were gay last year and a half. Jankto is an old acquaintance of the Dutch national team, as he was on the field during the quarterfinals of the European Championship 2021 won by the Czech Republic (0-2). He is rented by Sparta Prague and is still fixed with the actual employer Getafe until mid-2026.