German soccer chief calls for gays to come out

Published Jan. 17, 2012 5:12 p.m. ET

foxsports

The outgoing German soccer federation president says it's time for gay players to come out.

Theo Zwanziger called on gay players ''to have the courage to declare themselves,'' although he conceded it was surely difficult to acknowledge one's homosexuality within a team. He pointed to the example of Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, who came out years ago.

Speaking at a discussion on the subject organized by the federation, Zwanziger said Tuesday that society was more understanding than a few years ago. Germany captain Philipp Lahm, however, disagrees as far as soccer goes.

''Football is like being the gladiators in the old times,'' Lahm said in an interview published Monday. ''The politicians can come out these days, for sure, but they don't have to play in front of 60,000 people every week.''

''I don't think that the society is that far ahead that it can accept homosexual players as something normal as in other areas,'' he added.

Zwanziger, who will leave his job in March, said Lahm is a tolerant person ''and if that's how he sees the situation, I am not going to be the one to criticize him.''

No player in Germany's professional leagues has so far acknowledged his homosexuality.