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“You shouldn't exist” ... “Why are you here?” ... “Don't take another breath.”

After announcing his homosexuality in 2021, footballer Josh Cavallo has faced constant threats and abusive messages on online platforms.

“Upon reading those comments, I was devastated,” the player explains. “No-one wants to read things like that.

“I'm trying to get better as a player and be the best I can be on the pitch, and then face criticism because of who I am. It's appalling.”

Player Cavallo was playing for Adelaide United back in 2020 when he emerged as the sole publicly out top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

Recently he departed from Australia to join lower-tier club Peterborough Sports, who compete before audiences of about 400 in National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

This young athlete combines playing for the Cambridgeshire part-timers by advocating for LGBTQ+ issues and leveraging his platform - he has more than one million followers on Instagram - to promote fairness and acceptance.

“Definitely, there's enormous work ahead,” Cavallo comments when asked if football still has a problem with homophobia.

“I don't go more than a week without encountering problems.”

‘People want to harm me’

Several years passed for Cavallo to work up the courage to say “I'm gay” before coming out on 27 October 2021.

“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally,” he said in an accompanying video.

The player was 21 and making a name for himself at Adelaide United in the premier division when, with the support of his team-mates, he publicly came out.

“The future was uncertain. I had no expectations,” he recalls. “It felt like the right time in my life. I needed to move forward.”

His emotional coming out video, entitled ‘Josh's Truth’, went viral on social media.

“My mobile phone exploded with encouraging words. The response was incredible.”

Liverpool were one of many high-profile clubs around the world to show solidarity with Cavallo, with the coach at the time Jurgen Klopp saying: “I'm really thankful that he did it because now we talk again.”

Spanish player the athlete also expressed backing, posting online that “the world of football is far behind and your actions drive progress”, while his former club released a comment backing their “extraordinary” and “courageous” player.

Others, however, were not so accepting.

Cavallo soon turned into a target of anti-gay remarks by rival supporters.

In January 2022 Melbourne Victory were penalized five thousand dollars over anti-gay abuse from fans aimed toward Cavallo during a game.

“The comments I encountered were painful and derogatory towards my community,” he says.

“I remained calm because I knew that would only feed the haters.”

A scary event occurred at a petrol station in Australia, where the athlete was physically attacked by someone who recognised him from the coverage.

“It was terrifying,” he recalls. “The thought crossed my mind ‘this is real - people want to harm me’.

“Should this be tolerated? Absolutely not. But by coming out, this is what it brings.

“I hope that the next person who comes out while playing football at a high level won't face the path I have endured.”

The player says the constant menacing messages and abusive messages have taken a toll on his mental health.

“It's disappointing because I must justify why I deserve a place on the football field for being who I am,” he states.

“We don't sit straight people down and ask ‘why should you exist in football?’.

“Many individuals see me as a smiling, positive person. But there are days when I lean on my fiance, Leighton, and he witnesses a lot that happens behind the scenes.”

‘Premier League player coming out would move mountains’

The player's choice to disclose his orientation helped prompt 17-year-old Blackpool forward Jake Daniels to come out as the Britain's sole publicly out playing soccer professional in spring 2022.

Nevertheless, there are zero publicly LGBTQ athletes in the top English division.

“It would create massive change,” says the footballer on the effect a Premier League player revealing their orientation would have.

“But I must be honest. There are a lot of scary things that would await this individual. In the world of football, identifying as LGBTQ is a highly hostile environment.”

Over two decades after a pioneering player - the UK's initial out soccer professional - took his own life in 1998, the current athlete has spoken about the “harmful male culture” that still exists in men's football.

“You just need to go to a match and observe the unfriendly atmosphere and masculinity that the crowd brings,” he explains.

“There is still a lot of work to make sure there is a secure environment in soccer for people like myself and Jake.

“We haven't seen it (additional athletes revealing their orientation) as much as we would like.

“I can only keep pushing for principles I believe in, and work towards taking out the harmful male norms in football changing rooms and creating a safe space.”

‘My mission is to drive progress’

Cavallo says football has allowed him to have conversations inside dressing rooms about coming out.

However, he is disapproving toward Fifa, after the Middle Eastern nation, where homosexual partnerships are illegal, staged the global tournament in 2022.

Future World Cup is scheduled in another Gulf state, where homosexuality is also illegal.

“Am I impressed that the global championship is in nations that ban gay unions, where people like me will be imprisoned for merely living on their territory? It's scary,” states Cavallo.

“I get messages [from people living in these countries] saying ‘I'm about to be put in prison for being who I am - can you help me?’.

“It breaks my heart that people are getting locked up for being who they are.

“Certain nations that are significant soccer markets and they reject the queer community. These places that often focus on me.”

Nevertheless, the footballer says he won't cease advocating.

“Football has allowed me to start conversations in the changing room. It has allowed me to speak and inform individuals who seek understanding.

“Some will disapprove for your identity. But I've discovered support. I've connected with similar people.

“My mission is to create change. That's what I'm here for.”