Thomas Hitzlsperger does not want to lose sight of the progress that has been made in battling homophobia in football over the past few decades - but believes there is only so much the game can do while wider societal issues persist.
The former Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Germany midfielder came out as gay in 2014, just a few months after announcing his retirement from the game.
But Hitzlsperger says that far from it just being an issue within the game, ongoing hateful attitudes in some quarters will be on the minds of many footballers when deciding whether or not to make a similar announcement.
"In terms of homophobia, society is the biggest challenge. The world has become a tougher place and, in relation to discrimination, it’s quite sad. Racism, like homophobia, is also a big issue in society and of course football.
"Sometimes people will ask 'Why can’t we just watch football?' I get that, but we have a responsibility to speak out on societal issues, because the game is so influential.
"In terms of tackling homophobia, there have been great initiatives – clubs and federations have all participated.
"Unfortunately, in this debate people often say there’s no development, because hardly any [men's] player has come out. I’d disagree in the sense that the game has got involved in initiatives, such as rainbow armbands. During a week midway through the 2024-25 Premier League season, 19 of 20 captains wore them, which was the vast majority.
"There’s sometimes this media obsession on focusing on a couple who step out of line and cause friction, but I’d argue we’ve come a long way by seeing so many high-profile Premier League players wearing the armbands.
"That’s massive and we should really talk about that and the progress we’ve made, rather than always getting obsessed with the few who disagree with diversity and live a different life to what is mainstream.
"I’d like us to focus on telling more positive stories, rather than focusing on the negative ones. I know a lot of people who take the issue of homophobia in football very seriously and they’re constantly trying to make football a more inclusive environment.
"However, we also have to admit that the game is purely about money. There have been a number of initiatives that had been built up over the years that have since been reduced - and equality, diversity and inclusion isn’t so popular any more because various people think it’s become too much.
"I’ve met so many people within football who are still passionate about being in an inclusive environment, which is great, but that isn’t in the news every day.
"The primary reason we’re there is to play football and enjoy the game, but alongside it there are so many opportunities to really engage with people from all backgrounds and assure them that football is there for them, too.
"However, the reality is that there are very few openly gay male footballers. It’s rooted in toxic masculinity, but life is toxic and that’s the sad thing.
"We talk about players not wanting to come out during their playing days because the environment might be toxic but after their playing career has finished, some players don’t come out either, because they’re scared of society."
