In a recent interview, German national team captain Philip Lahm said that "An openly gay footballer would be exposed to abusive elements. For someone who does [come out], it would be very difficult."

Sadly, it is hard to argue with Lahm's conclusion, though it should be noted that there is now an openly gay footballer Anton Hysén, son of former Liverpool player Glenn Hysén (who coaches Anton's fourth division Swedish team, Utsiktens BK).