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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089982/John-Fashanu-disapproved-disowned-brother-Justins-gay-lifestyle.html
John Fashanu's daughter reveals grim family secret: My father disowned his own brother for being gay
rawling through film archives for a BBC documentary she was making about gay footballers, Amal Fashanu discovered the ‘dark secret’ that overshadowed her family for more than two decades.

She learned that her uncle, Justin Fashanu – Britain’s first £1 million black player and the only professional footballer to ‘come out’ as gay – was devastated by the rejection of his own family.

Amal, 23-year-old daughter of Justin’s brother, the former Wimbledon player-turned-TV presenter John Fashanu, has always believed football failed her uncle and that homophobia contributed to the fragile mental state that led him to take his life.
But she now also believes he was pushed over the edge by rejection by the people he loved the most. In the programme, Britain’s Gay Footballers, Amal tries to discover why no other player has ‘come out’ like Justin.

She discovered the full extent of her uncle’s vilification after he revealed his sexuality in 1990 at 29. His once stellar career was dogged by sex scandals and he hanged himself eight years later, after being accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in America.
John Fashanu's daughter reveals grim family secret: I knew Dad disapproved of Justin's gay lifestyle,  but seeing him disown his own brother hurt me so much

By Angella Johnson

Last updated at 3:41 PM on 22nd January 2012

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Trawling through film archives for a BBC documentary she was making about gay footballers, Amal Fashanu discovered the ‘dark secret’ that overshadowed her family for more than two decades.

She learned that her uncle, Justin Fashanu – Britain’s first £1 million black player and the only professional footballer to ‘come out’ as gay – was devastated by the rejection of his own family.

Amal, 23-year-old daughter of Justin’s brother, the former Wimbledon player-turned-TV presenter John Fashanu, has always believed football failed her uncle and that homophobia contributed to the fragile mental state that led him to take his life.
Breakdown: Justin Fashanu, bottom, with brother John, top - they had a very public fallout following Justin revealing he was gay
Mission: Amal Fashanu tries to discover why no footballer in England has 'come out' like her Uncle Justin did

Justin Fashanu, pictured by the ball on the left, had a fallout with brother John, top left, following his decision to admit he was gay, - and now John's daughter Amal, right, is on a mission to find out why no other player has 'come out'

But she now also believes he was pushed over the edge by rejection by the people he loved the most. In the programme, Britain’s Gay Footballers, Amal tries to discover why no other player has ‘come out’ like Justin.

She discovered the full extent of her uncle’s vilification after he revealed his sexuality in 1990 at 29. His once stellar career was dogged by sex scandals and he hanged himself eight years later, after being accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in America.

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But it was Justin’s schism with John that appears to have left the deepest cut. John condemned him in a TV interview when Justin came out, saying he would have to ‘suffer the consequences’ for going public and adding he would ‘not want to play or even get changed’ with him.

Desperate for money, his career waning, Justin sold stories to the tabloids – later proved false – about intimate liaisons with politicians and celebrities.

At the time the details were kept from Amal. ‘It was very upsetting to see the old news reports of my father disowning his own brother,’ she says.

‘I was only ten when it happened and my parents wanted to protect me. After my parents split up, I grew up with my mother in Madrid and although I heard things, I never discussed it with my father. I knew he had not approved of Justin’s lifestyle, but the extent of his disloyalty was a shock.

‘Other members of the family have been reticent. It hurts me to think everyone abandoned him. I can’t help but think it would have taken just one supportive person to stand up for him.’

Amal graduated from Brunel University last year and is set on a modelling or TV career. When she confronted her father for her documentary, the former Gladiators host, now a businessman in Nigeria, insisted he had never been homophobic, but had been protecting the family name.

He told her: ‘At the time, I was cross with my brother. It was the way it came out – cheap and dirty, horrible scandals day after day. Going on the front pages of the newspapers, saying you’d had intimate relationships with MPs.

Justin was selfish. I did what I thought was right for our family and for myself.’

The brothers – former Barnardo’s Homes boys who were fostered in Norfolk –  had once forged a bond in childhood adversity.

Both started in professional football with Norwich City in 1978. Justin was signed for £1 million in 1981 by Nottingham Forest, where manager Brian Clough bluffly challenged Justin’s taste for ‘poof clubs’, ultimately driving him from the team.

After playing for a string of clubs, injury and homophobia eventually forced Justin into coaching work in Canada, New Zealand and  America, where, in 1998, he was accused of the sex assault.

Returning to Britain, he hanged himself two days later in a back-street garage in London’s East End. It was then revealed that the assault accusation was unfounded and no arrest warrant existed

On the morning that news of his suicide broke, an interview was published giving John’s reaction to the assault claims. John had said: ‘I just pray the accusations are not true, but we lost contact years ago and, anyway, I’m past caring. I’ve washed my hands of him.’

Justin’s suicide note protested his innocence but added that he did not want to heap further embarrassment on his family. He said he had felt abandoned by those he cared about.

‘What I’ve learned about him since doing this documentary is that he really wanted to be true to himself,’ says Amal. ‘But society would not accept a gay top-flight sportsman.

‘In the 14 years since his death, no one has been brave enough to follow in his footsteps. There are about 5,000 professional footballers in the country, yet incredibly not a single one of them has come out as gay. I’m proud Justin was my uncle and that he was brave enough to say what he did. I think my dad now regrets the harsh way he responded.

‘The game needs more people like my uncle if homophobic barriers are to be removed.’

This has nothing to do with GEJ

who cares who they cast let them just do a good job

^^^^nah just found it awesome thanks for the hint

[size=20pt]The Raven[/size]

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[size=15pt]A thousand words[/size]

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Think Like a Man

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wrath of the titans

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[size=20pt]Playback[/size]

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Wanderlust

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this is becoming a usual thing

alot of things change as human beings become more mature

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Nice Video

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damn why is the trial taking so long

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nice4life:
1.women are number one citizen, in fact they have more right than men.this is heart breaking for a real Naija man.
2.You can't date a girl below 18 yrs old even if she's hot, you have to be sure she's above 18 lest you go to jail.

how is not being able to date a girl below 18years a disadvantage?

nothing we no go hear ooooo

them try sha

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See my beloved country has turned into Afhganistan

Eko O Ni Baje O