Max Clifford: "I always advise gay footballers to stay in the closet"

PR legend Max Clifford has spoken out to say he has given advice to two gay Premiership footballers in recent years who have approached him to organise a "coming out" campaign, telling them to remain quiet because the game is "in the dark ages, steeped in homophobia."

Max reckons:

"It’s a very sad state of affairs. But it’s a fact that homophobia in football is as strong now as it was 10 years ago. If you’d asked me in 2000 whether I thought we’d have a famous, openly gay footballer by 2010 I'd have said yes.
But a footballer coming out now? If he did, it would just be his career over."

Do you think what Max says is true? Would fans' taunts during games make it impossible to continue in the sport, or would fans eventually get over it???? I worry that every publicist in Britain will follow Max's lead, which means nothing will be changed. Someone has to be first!

Image: Splash News

Posted December 21, 2009.