Norwich City legend Justin Fashanu to be inducted into football hall of fame
Former Norwich City striker Justin Fashanu is to be posthumously inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame.
Fashanu, who scored 40 goals in 103 appearances for the Canaries, still remains Britain's only openly gay professional footballer.
He took his own life in 1998, eight years after he publicly came out as gay in an interview with The Sun newspaper.
His niece Amal will receive the award on his behalf at a special ceremony at the museum in Manchester on Wednesday on what would have been his 59th birthday.
Amal, who has set up the Justin Fashanu Foundation in his name to help raise the participation of LGBT people in football, said it would be an "honour" to represent her uncle.
"I think he wouldn't believe it himself. I know he would be extremely honoured, and I know that I am extremely honoured and so is my family," she told Sky Sports News.
"I guess for Justin this would be a great moment and I think it's a pivotal moment when we are finally recognising who Justin Fashanu was, not only as the openly gay footballer, but also as a very talented footballer and the first million-pound black player in England.
"When I went up to the Football Museum in Manchester a few years ago, I was quite shocked to not see Justin there [in the Hall of Fame]. Maybe that's because I'm his niece and I just think he's amazing, but as a footballer I would have expected him to be there."
The Hall of Fame was launched in 2002 and aims to celebrate the achievements of players who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport.
Fashanu's induction comes in the week Norwich City fans unveiled a special banner ahead of Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool marking 40 years since he scored the 'BBC Goal of the Season' against the same opponents.
Watch our studio chat with Nick O'Brien from Proud Canaries