John Fashanu admits he paid brother Justin £75,000 to hide he was gay

He admitted he was a 'monster' towards his late brother
Richard Parry19 April 2018

John Fashanu has admitted he paid his brother Justin £75,000 to keep his homosexuality a secret.

Fellow footballer Justin, who played for Norwich City and Nottingham Forest in the 1980s, committed suicide in May 1998 after revealing he was gay eight years before.

As the 20th anniversary of his death approaches, Fashanu has called on the FA to do more to instil confidence in current footballers to be openly gay, insisting that there are a number of ‘well-known’ players in the Premier League who ‘don’t feel comfortable with the environment’.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Fashanu put his own actions down to a “lack of education” and admitted that he was a ‘monster’ to his brother.

Justin Fashanu in 1981 Photo Allsport UK/Allsport
Getty Images

“I make it very clear, I was a monster to Justin then. I paid him £75,000 not to say that he was gay,” said the former Wimbledon, Aston Villa and England striker.

“I was looking at the situation around us and my mother had cancer and was dying, and the rest of the family couldn’t understand the situation.

“We didn’t know what to do, the best thing I thought to do was to keep it quiet."

“We have a number of well-known footballers who are gay and they don’t feel comfortable with the environment,” added Fashanu.

“They know their empires will be destroyed.

John Fashanu Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images
Pete Norton/Getty Images

“It is supporters, administrators... not so much the players because they know who is gay and who is not gay. They give each other support, but it is quite gentle support.”

Justin and John were sent to live in a Barnardo's home when their parents split up, before they being fostered by a couple in Norfolk.

Justin came through the ranks at Norwich City, bursting on to the scene in 1979-80, when he won the BBC Goal of the Season award with the volley above against Liverpool.

He became Britain's first £1m black footballer when he was signed by Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest in 1981 but his career foundered and he had short stints at a number of clubs, including Southampton, Brighton, Manchester City, West Ham, Newcastle, Torquay and Airdrieonians, as well as sides overseas.

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