Exclusive: Josh Cavallo on fearing for his life, FIFA’s ignorance and continuing to be a trailblazer

Josh Cavallo became the first top-flight footballer to come out while playing in 2021, and since then, he has experienced death threats and harassment, as well as watching Saudi Arabia awarded the World Cup.

Josh Cavallo might be excused for being outraged.

When the Australian came out as homosexual in October 2021, he skyrocketed to international fame. He was the first top-flight footballer to come out while playing, and Jake Daniels, Zander Murray, and Jakub Jankto have since followed suit.

Cavallo has never shied away from voicing his voice and advocating for the rights of the LGBT+ community, which he represents. Despite this, football’s officials have showed little interest in engaging, including handing the World Cup to Saudi Arabia, a nation where homosexuality is punishable by death.

But Cavallo is resolved to keep fighting for LGBT+ equality. In an in-depth exclusive conversation with Mirror Football, the 24-year-old defies his youth to demonstrate maturity in his battle against inequity.”I honestly wouldn’t feel safe,” he says of the Saudi World Cup, in a devastating criticism of FIFA. “It’s sorry to say, but even in my football career, there are some places where I will not play club or national team football.

“At the end of the day, it becomes your livelihood rather than your work, which is really sad for me because this is what I do; I get up and breathe football; this is what I was born to do.

“Knowing that I’m confined and stuck in some nations because they don’t approve of how I love or live my life is quite upsetting. I wouldn’t want to enter an environment like that right now. Before I contemplate that, I need to make a lot of improvements.”

It’s a surprising revelation that should concern football officials. But he feels there is a simple answer to football’s challenges to connect with the LGBT+ community: it’s time for clubs to put their words into action.”Everyone tends to ask me ‘how can we grow football’,” he reports. “In the A-League, we established a Pride round, which revolutionized the way Australians look at football during Pride, and it had a tremendous response.

“Not many individuals elsewhere are doing the same thing. For me, it’s not just one day of celebration; it’s something we think about all the time. It impacts humans. Clubs should come around and assist LGBT+ individuals.

“I know for a fact that there are professional soccer players who are not out and are still competing at the top levels. If we had clubs who supported that and said, “Hey, having the World Cup in Saudi Arabia isn’t right; let’s do something to raise awareness and have our voices heard.”

“If Liverpool turns around and says, ‘This is not acceptable,’ and great teams like Barcelona say something similar, it will turn heads. If I go to the World Cup [in 2030], I’m more concerned about my safety than I am about fulfilling a childhood ambition of playing in the tournament. It’s quite disturbing.”Cavallo’s efforts came at a cost. He has received innumerable death threats and homophobic insults. However, the Australian is resolved not to let the racists triumph.

“Obviously online I can’t control what people are going to say and do, but this is me, this is who I am,” Cavallo told the crowd. “Unfortunately, because I am in the public spotlight and the first depiction of an out homosexual player, I am somewhat of a target.

“But I know the impact it’s having, how happy it’s making people, and how it’s helping people come out of their shells and out of the bubbles they’ve been living in their entire lives.

“So, as I’ve always said, they can instill as much hatred as they want, but I’m never going to change what I’m doing because I know I’m helping these individuals, even if it means being accosted by tiny kids on the street or at the grocery store saying, ‘You helped me with my coming out’.

“It’s amazing to watch the parents’ responses, and to understand that this is more than just a sport right now. So, if I’m going through a difficult period, that’s what I think of. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel for me, and it helps when I receive negative feedback.”That comment exemplifies Cavallo’s perspective on life. The Australian is determined to remain positive while highlighting what has to change.

Many have referred to the 24-year-old as a “trailblazer.” Cavallo is glad to utilize this description.

“For me, as time passes, I find that it becomes increasingly important, which is incredible to have the space in football, which requires a lot of work. “I think when I first came out, it was like a celebration,” he says.

“But there’s a lot of groundwork that we’ve done in the previous two and a half years to build football that hasn’t been recognized or noticed. So it’s encouraging to see that we’ve made a positive shift since then.

“We still have a lot of things to fix. There are still things going on, such as World Cups taking place where they should not be, which are the bread and butter of things that should not be happening in order to provide a safe environment for everybody.

“We are doing the best we can. I have a big army of people that support me, so it’s wonderful to see the online and in-person support that I receive. We’re just going to keep pressing, baby; we won’t stop.”Cavallo has gone a long way since his release. He honored the most recent milestone in his journey by proposing to his partner, now fiancee, on his home ground at Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium some weeks ago.

“It was quite a surreal moment for myself because two and a half years ago I was so lost, it was crazy to think that I would be doing something like this and doing it being me, doing it in a football ground, it’s absolutely crazy,” Cavallo commented on the event.

“I really adore it since it encapsulates my football team and me. It just demonstrates that it is possible, feasible, and accepted at this football club. I want people to think, ‘Let’s do it, what are we waiting for?

“So it was a fantastic event, a wonderful time, and a lot of fun. It was a memorable day that I will undoubtedly cherish for the rest of my life. I’d like to know how many clubs across the world would have allowed this to happen. Sadly, I believe it would be less than 50%.”

However, Cavallo is not resting on his laurels. He is trying to make football a safe environment for LGBT+ individuals. In that regard, the Australian feels that his Adelaide team serves as an example for other clubs to emulate.

“When I walked out, they grabbed my hand and said, ‘Josh, let’s do this together. That was fantastic, and I will never forget that day. But seeing it expand in Australia, where most teams are wearing the Pride armband and it’s not even Pride week, is fantastic to show the awareness and impact it’s had,” he finishes.

“We’re also seeing a lot more rainbows in the stands. It has been widely accepted in Australia. If you had told me that three years ago, I would never have imagined that my influence might have had a role in altering that. It has gone a long way.

“But this is an excellent moment to share that with the world and shape it in that way. I see the EPL doing a lot of things, which is excellent. However, there must come a time where we say, “Hey, countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar cannot host such high-calibre tournaments.”

“That is a no-brainer for me.” There’s still a lot to accomplish. I’m battling and continuing, and I’ll never give up on that.”