Swedish professional soccer player Anton Hysen has announced he is gay. Hysen, who plays for Swedish fourth tier side Utsiktens BK, is the first elite Swedish player to come out.
In an interview with Offside magazine, the 20-year old said, “It is f**ked up that no other Swedish player has come out yet. I am a footballer [soccer player]. And gay. If I perform as a footballer, then I do not think it matters if I like girls or boys.”
Hysen admitted that his coming out could affect his career, but pointed out that other players had to deal with issues like racism from coaches and team bosses.
Hysen told the magazine, “That is their problem and not mine. People may call me anything they want, it will just make me even more psyched.”
The soccer player is the son of former Liverpool and Fiorentina star Glenn Hysen, who told the magazine that he was pleased his son had decided to come out.
Sweden is considered to be one of the most gay-friendly countries in Europe and the world when it comes to laws surrounding homosexuality. The Swedish parliament voted to make same-sex marriages fully legal in 2009.
