As part of our research we studied a nigerian footballer called Justin Fashanu. His story is very shocking and important in the football world, specially when talking about gay people in it.
Born in 1961, Fashanu was the son of a Nigerian barrister living in England. When his parents split up, he and his brother John were eventually placed in a foster home in Shropham, Norfolk.
He began his professional career at Norwich City in 1978 and made his debut the following year. Two years later, he won Goal of the Season for an effort against Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest paid £1 million for him in 1981, making Fashanu the first black footballer to command such a transfer fee.
But his career stalled under Brian Clough, Forest’s combative manager. Clough was disturbed, it seems by rumours that Fashanu was visiting gay clubs and bars. His goals dried up, especially after Clough discovered his homosexuality and banned him from even training with the rest of the team.
On the morning of 3 May 1998, he was found hanged in a deserted lock-up garage he had broken into, in Shoreditch, London, after visiting Chariots Roman Spa, a local gay sauna. In his suicide note, he stated: "I realised that I had already been presumed
guilty. I do not want to give any more embarrassment to my friends and family."
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