I’ve been watching football for well over 20 years now. In that time I’ve witnessed exhilarating highs and heartbreaking lows. Happily, the one thing I haven’t experienced is any form of phobia. Or have I?

With the high-profile Suarez/Evra case hitting the headlines again yesterday, I began casting my mind back over two decades at the Kenny. We’ve always had black players in the ranks, going back to before I started attending. Indeed, for a time we were the vanguard of integrated football clubs, with the likes of Ricky Hill and Brian Stein spearheading our glory days. They no doubt endured abuse, but 30 years later I’d hope it’s something the majority of modern players haven’t encountered.

But what about on the terraces? I can only think of one instance, or rather, one individual who made me feel uncomfortable. Something of an old-timer, there were occasions when this one chap would subject both our own black players and those of the opposition to a derogatory term or two. Thinking about it now, I don’t believe his tone or vernacular was malicious. It was more a sense of alluding to skin colour, rather than using outwardly insulting terms. But it was still wrong, still ignorant and although it was probably a generational thing, there was no excuse. 

Thankfully, it was the only example of racial intolerance I’ve ever experienced at a football ground. I’m not suggesting we’ve since erased it from the game, and recent events demonstrate that only too well. But we have grown. We have moved on. And although there’s still work to be done, I don’t believe things are as bad as Sir Alex Ferguson alluded to in yesterday’s post-match interview.

It’s also with a great deal of pride that I support a club who do their utmost to continue bringing the local community together. This isn’t an easy task and given the physical location of the stadium, there remains a sad lack of Muslim fans. I don’t know why this is, especially as so many Muslim boys love their cricket and football.

Nevertheless, combining the two for last year’s 2020 Cricket Day was a fantastic initiative by the club, while the presence of Pakistan’s Imran Nazir was also a real coup. I’m unsure whether the club contacts local schools in advance about organised trips, and it may well be they already do, but if not this would be something to consider for what I hope will be a repeat this summer.

And whereas I’m sure the club is well ‘on top of it’, the numbers obviously stack up. For example, my fiancée teaches at an LU4 primary school that has over 700 pupils. The vast, vast majority are Muslim kids. If the club could tap into just 10% of that with the offer of subsidised tickets and whatnot, our average gate could increase by over 1%.  I appreciate my numbers are rudimentary, but if you multiply that out into other schools, who knows? 

Sadly, however, the issue of race isn’t the last of football’s hot potatoes. For me, the issue of greater concern is that of homophobia. Last night I watched ‘Britain’s Gay Footballers’, a documentary put together by Amal Fashanu, the daughter of John and niece of the late Justin – Britain’s only professional footballer to ever come out. 

What transpired was pretty depressing – of over 5,000 professional footballers in Britain, not one is openly gay. Have there been and are there gay players? Of course. Why are they unable to come out? Fear. Fear of abuse from the terraces and a fear of their teammates’ reaction. In 2012 that’s a very sad state of affairs.

Throughout the programme, Amal Fashanu attempted to organise interview after interview with current players to discuss the matter. Very few obliged. Some did (most notably Joey Barton), all of whom suggested it wouldn’t be a problem if a teammate was openly gay. I hope they’re right, and I have no doubt a lot of footballers would be entirely supportive of a homosexual teammate. Sadly, I’d be pleasantly surprised if all footballers felt the same way. The fact is there are a lot of professionals out there who simply aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer. Not every player would accept the presence of a gay teammate in the dressing room. Anyone who watched the Fashanu programme will have seen as much. Sad but true.

Then you’ve got the fans. Matt Lucas raised an interesting point when presented with some of the chants frequently directed at Brighton supporters. He suggested it’s important to distinguish between harmless banter (“We can see you holding hands”) and the vitriol endured by the likes of Sol Campbell following his switch across north London. And yet there remains a section of supporters who’ll be unable or unwilling to see the difference.

Make no mistake, football is lagging both in the terraces and the dressing room. Just look at rugby and cricket – two sports from which football could learn an awful lot. Former Wales rugby captain, Gareth Thomas, famously came out in 2009, while more recently Surrey and England cricketer, Steven Davies did likewise. Support for both, among fans and their playing peers, was unequivocal and their decisions applauded. Arguably England’s most charismatic cricketer, Graeme Swann, tweeted, “Good on everyone showing support for Steve Davies. For those few opposed? Maybe find a new rock to live under? #2011not1811.” I wonder how many footballers and football fans would be as supportive. Not as many as there should be, I bet.

It’s an issue that must be addressed. Could it be that our club, who did so much to promote black footballers, will do likewise for gay pros? Possibly. Hopefully. But it has to start with our antiquated Football Association. They’ve tackled racism, primarily with the ‘Kick It Out’ campaign. Now it’s time to do the same with homophobia. Only once gay players feel confident enough to come out can clubs provide them with the support and backing afforded any player – regardless of colour, religion and sexuality.