John de Bever is disappointed that no professional football player in the Netherlands has come out after him. The former player of FC Dordrecht, among others, nowadays mainly known as a folk singer, would like to see a successor in the short term, in order to finally break the taboo surrounding homosexuality in the Dutch football world.
“The fact that there are no professional football players who dare to say that they like men is a great pity and, I think, not good either”, De Bever sighs in an extensive interview with Football International. “Because of course there are gays in professional football, they just choose not to tell. They should of course know that themselves, but I would do it differently.” The singer himself came out for his sexuality three decades ago. “I find it very strange that no one did it after that. Because what are we talking about? I actually think it is great nonsense and I would rather not talk about it afterwards. Against every gay man, whether he is a footballer or not. , I would say: ‘Just come out for it, because in twenty years you will still do it.’
De Bever thinks there could be several reasons why gay players prefer to stay in the closet during their professional life. “They are probably afraid for their career. That they cannot make the transfer from Ajax to Bayern Munich because of their orientation. Most of them therefore wait until after their active career. Or they are afraid of their environment. Football is a macho world in which it is always about women “, the former player looks for causes. De Bever especially hopes that in 2021 there will be greater acceptance in the football world.
“The fear that exists is very difficult for me to understand,” he continues with his analysis. “If Lionel Messi tells Messi tomorrow that he is gay, no one will attack him. Yes, in Madrid they will shout once, but otherwise nothing will change. He will have the support of his teammates and he will just as well keep playing football. . ” De Bever also wants the prejudices about tough football players to disappear quickly. “It would help if a big, tough player like Virgil van Dijk, for example, would say that he likes men.”