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A football team has been named after openly gay striker Justin Fashanu who killed himself almost 11 years ago.
The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich player was just 37 when he was found hanging from the rafters of an east London garage in May 1998.
The Justin Fashanu All-stars were christened at a special event in Brighton, supported by the FA.
The team has been created by the Justin Campaign which promotes the inclusion of openly gay players in football.
The team kit which is sponsored by DJ Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, was unveiled at the event on Saturday.
Suicide verdict
The side, which is open to gay or straight footballers, is to play its first fixtures at the Gay Football Supporters Network five-a-side tournament in Yorkshire.
Mr Fashanu was the UK's first professional footballer to be open about his homosexuality and remains the only prominent player in the country to have done so.
In the early 1980s he was rated as one of English football's brightest young stars but his career took a nosedive after a £1m move to Nottingham Forest and a serious knee injury.
The inquest into his death heard of allegations that Mr Fashanu was wanted by police in the US over allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage boy.
In his suicide note he denied the allegation, but predicted that he would be treated unfairly because he was homosexual.
The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide, saying Mr Fashanu had appeared to triumph over prejudice about his colour and his homosexuality but the pressures, coupled with the alleged incident, had overwhelmed him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7930310.stm
The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich player was just 37 when he was found hanging from the rafters of an east London garage in May 1998.
The Justin Fashanu All-stars were christened at a special event in Brighton, supported by the FA.
The team has been created by the Justin Campaign which promotes the inclusion of openly gay players in football.
The team kit which is sponsored by DJ Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, was unveiled at the event on Saturday.
Suicide verdict
The side, which is open to gay or straight footballers, is to play its first fixtures at the Gay Football Supporters Network five-a-side tournament in Yorkshire.
Mr Fashanu was the UK's first professional footballer to be open about his homosexuality and remains the only prominent player in the country to have done so.
In the early 1980s he was rated as one of English football's brightest young stars but his career took a nosedive after a £1m move to Nottingham Forest and a serious knee injury.
The inquest into his death heard of allegations that Mr Fashanu was wanted by police in the US over allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage boy.
In his suicide note he denied the allegation, but predicted that he would be treated unfairly because he was homosexual.
The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide, saying Mr Fashanu had appeared to triumph over prejudice about his colour and his homosexuality but the pressures, coupled with the alleged incident, had overwhelmed him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7930310.stm
