Czech soccer player Jakub Jankto comes out as gay

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) — Czech Republic midfielder Jakub Jankto posted a video on social media on Monday saying he’s homosexual, making him one of the high-profile male soccer gamers to come back out.

Jankto posted a video on Twitter saying: “I’m homosexual. And I no longer want to hide myself.”

The 27-year-old Jankto is taking part in for Sparta Prague this season on mortgage from Spanish membership Getafe. He has beforehand performed for Italian golf equipment Sampdoria and Udinese and has made 45 appearances for the Czech nationwide crew, scoring 4 objectives and establishing 13 extra.

“Like everyone else, I want to live my life with freedom, without fear, without violence, without prejudice, but with love,” Jankto says within the video.

Sparta Prague’s official Twitter account retweeted the video and mentioned “you have our support.”

“Live your life, Jakub,” the membership added.

Getafe additionally posted a message on Twitter, saying: “Our utmost respect and unconditional help to our participant Jakub Jankto.”

The Czech nationwide crew mentioned “nothing is altering for us.”

The Premier League responded to Jankto’s video with a remark saying: “We’re with you, Jakub. Football is for everyone.”

Jankto has a three-year-old son, David, along with his accomplice Marketa. Their relationship led to 2021.

While girls’s soccer options many distinguished LGBTQ+ gamers, it’s nonetheless uncommon for skilled male gamers to come back out publicly as homosexual.

Josh Cavallo, who performs for Adelaide United in Australia, turned the one brazenly homosexual participant in a prime males’s league when he got here out in 2021.

Last 12 months, Jake Daniels of English second-division membership Blackpool turned the primary energetic male skilled soccer participant in Britain to publicly say he’s homosexual.