Gay players will be treated with respect says Premier League chief

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore says gay footballers would be treated with respect if they were to go public about their sexuality.

A report from the Daily Mirror claims two top-flight players - one believed to be an England international - are set to come out before the start of next season and Scudamore believes the reaction would be positive.

"The environment would be entirely suitable for them to come out," he told BBC Newsnight on Wednesday.

"It would be welcomed and I think there would be a tolerance to it. I think the time would be right to do that."

Scudamore is "absolutely sure" there are gay players in the Premier League, saying: "It would be very strange if there wasn't."

The last openly-gay player in the English game was Justin Fashanu, while former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger came out after his retirement in 2014.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed last year that gay players would be unlikely to reveal their sexuality during their careers due to the media scrutiny.

It would be welcomed and I think there would be a tolerance to it. I think the time would be right to do that.

"Because of media interest, maybe no one will come out," the Frenchman said in May. "He could not come out during his career which means we still have some progress to make in our game."

Asked about Scudamore's comments on Thursday, Wenger said: "I believe when you watch a football player you don't know, you don't want to know what his sexuality is.

"What you want to see is a football player, no matter what he is in his private life. It has become more tolerant towards that situation. I wouldn't like to say it's perfect, but certainly better than 10 years ago."