Josh Cavallo: World's only openly gay top-flight footballer 'fearful' of playing Qatar World Cup

The only openly gay man in football's top-flight has admitted he is "fearful" of playing at next year's World Cup in Qatar, as being gay is illegal there. Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United, said he hopes to play Australia in next year's tournament, but acknowledges that Qatar punishes “homosexual acts” with with up to seven years in prison. "I'm fearful, of course," he told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday. "It's a problem that the world is facing and hopefully through my example, we can change these laws going forward."

Cavallo came out as gay last month in a video posted to Twitter - it has been viewed over 10 million times since and sparked an outpouring of support from some of football's biggest names. On Good Morning Britain, a grinning Cavallo called the response "phenomenal". "It's really exiting because I closed that old book of lying and living a double life and opened a new chapter in my life. I haven't been able to stop smiling during the last couple of weeks," he said. Cavallo added that since releasing the video, he has received messages from LGBT+ footballers who are apprehensive about coming out. "I wanted to be that example for people to come and talk to and say 'it is okay'," he said.