The former Wimbledon striker made the shock admission a week after it emerged two top footballers – including an England star – plan to come out.

John Fashanu has shamefully revealed how he responded to his brother becoming the first British football star to come out as gay – by paying him £75,000 to keep quiet.

The former Wimbledon striker made the shock admission a week after it emerged two top footballers – including an England star – plan to come out .

In his first in-depth interview about brother Justin since his tragic suicide in 1998, he said: “I begged him, I threatened him, I did everything I could possibly do to try and stop him coming out.

“I gave him the money because I didn’t want the embarrassment for me or my family. Had he come out now, it would be a different ball game.

“There wouldn’t be an issue, but there was then. Things are different now. Now he’d be hailed a hero.”

Justin shot to fame as a teenager with a stunning goal for Norwich in 1980 against a Liverpool team that included Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish.

Brian Clough lavished a £1million transfer fee – a record for a black player – on the England under-21 international to take him to Nottingham Forest. But he did not hit the heights expected.

In a newspaper interview in 1990, he claimed to have had an affair with a married Tory MP he met in a gay bar.


John, 53, said: “I’ll never forget when Justin first told me. He called me in the evening time and said to me: ‘I’m gay’.

"Then he said to me: ‘I’m planning to go to a newspaper’. I said to him: ‘Oh heavens forbid... oh my God. We don’t need that. You’re mad’.

“He promised when I gave him the money he would not go out and say that. Two days later... bang... headlines in a newspaper. I looked like a sucker.

“For me and my family it was like Hiroshima or Nagasaki on our lives. It knocked us dead, it was a total shock.

“People might not like it, but I was trying to protect my family.

“You’ve got to remember the public’s perception of homosexuality at that time was that it was an abomination . It was taboo. Street boys were beating up gays in nightclubs.

“I give him credit for having the courage to come out and say it. But it caused a lot of confusion and animosity towards him, me, and my family.

“During matches, 30, 40, sometimes 45,000 supporters sang at me: ‘You’re big... you’re black... your a*** is up for grabs... Fashanu... Fashanu’.

“As a result of him saying what he said, my mother died because of the stress. She actually died a year later on the day of his birthday.

"She was already old, very fragile and suffering cancer.

“Then to be told her second eldest son was a homosexual was too much.”


Justin Fashanu and John Fashanu as Young Boys



John condemned Justin, then at Leyton Orient, soon after he came out and infamously said he would “not want to play or even get changed” in the same dressing room.

But last week John said: “I’ve never spoken about these things before because I was stamped a homophobe.

"But things have changed and I make it very clear: I was wrong. It was ignorance on my behalf.

"I didn’t understand him. I was trying to protect my family and I was worried about the effect on my career.


“In the process I lost my brother and I am very sad about that.

“He committed suicide because he was so distraught the world would not accept a black man who was homosexual.

"I couldn’t understand it and I couldn’t accept it and so whatever relationship we had before was killed .

“Previous to that, we had been very close, but it just shattered everything. I didn’t speak to him again. There’s a lot of sadness and regrets.”


The Gladiators presenter said of the two football stars preparing to come out as gay , which the Daily Mirror revealed last week: “If these young men feel it is the right time to come out and announce they are homosexual, please don’t anybody victimise them.

“Please be careful with words, don’t let it lead to the destruction of two men in their prime. I didn’t have that wisdom 20 years ago and it led to the destruction of my late brother Justin.

John, who still believes his brother was not actually gay, is a practising Christian.

He credits his TV presenter daughter Amal, 27, for helping him to change.

“We must accept them. I beg everybody not to make the same mistakes I made. Give them as much understanding as possible.”

She presented a BBC documentary about gay footballers in 2012.

“My daughter Amal is a very strong activist for gay rights,” said John, who now lives in Nigeria, where homosexuality is still illegal.

“She has helped me a lot to understand a lot more about another way of life, which homosexuality is.

"I love her and I am very proud of the way she speaks about her uncle.”

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/john-fashanu-paid-tragic-brother-6738314

Hmm! But the fact is that there are so many closet gay men out there...so many of them married, and living miserable lives, cos they are living a lie. And I think it is unfair to say people choose to be gay. How can any sane man choose a lifestyle that puts his life at danger and that of his family, if he has a choice? People make it seem like these gay men just wake up one morning and say 'yea, I want to be gay' and they turn a switch in their heads, and bam! They are gay. Why don't you try being gay for a day...You can't, cos it is not a choice.

Na money the boy dey find that time jare, he wasn't gay

He has chosen his part. You don't need to cry afoul


Check my signature everyone

kayo80:
Hmm! But the fact is that there are so many closet gay men out there...so many of them married, and living miserable lives, cos they are living a lie. And I think it is unfair to say people chose to be gay. How can any sane man chose a lifestyle that puts his life at danger and that of his family, if he has a choice? People make it seem like these gay men just wake up one morning and say 'yea, I want to be gay' and they turn a switch in their heads, and bam! They are gay. Why don't you try being gay for a day...You can't, cos it is not a choice.

Are you gay?

krissy213:

Are you gay?

No ma.

Kk

Even satan (serpent) went to meet unclad eve instead of unclad Adam. !!!

We are not gay - Mugabe

Who cares mr fash. Attention seeker hehehehe. After u do gladiators show for uk den u run come naija as d show end. U chop mrs ibru money, now u no get work. Na to dey find attention now abi after ur marriage saga.

Cute guy

Would you like to give your life to JESUS today?? Says this prayer and you will be safe.

"Dear Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and died to forgive me of my sins. I know I have sinned. I ask You to forgive me. I turn from my sins, and I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. I want to live for You the rest of my life. Amen."

this world isn't perfect. .because God wants it so....



Check out my GL 450
Must go this weekend

ok

ayah.

Ok

Blacks breaking records since 19BC. Obama also holds another record in the United States. Chai, It's a shame

loomer:
Na money the boy dey find that time jare, he wasn't gay

Its a family thing,ur brother died a gay and ur daughter an activist for homosexuality.u guys need deliverance.

Kk

Please I want to give my gf dogggy, and her yansh is too big, to hit the right spot should I close her laps or open it...mature advice please

Oh please!

Let us call a spade a spade.

I am not perfect but I cannot comprehend or stand homosexuality.

Does that make me a homophobe

Oh well,good riddance to bad rubbish.

Mtcheew... I was listening to dej loaf.

.

Its so unfortunate. RIP to his brother

Homosexuality is still a taboo and an abormination till this day. Was just thinking if all gays stay in the closet, that means most women will be married to gays without knowing. Many people's dads will be closeted gay in the future.

Dunno sha, its just confusing

Ok

i