Evra: Players said having gay team-mate would be 'against their religion'

Patrice Evra has claimed some of his team-mates in England did not want gay players at their club for religious reasons.

Evra, who played at Manchester United and West Ham along with several other clubs outside England, also stated his belief that there are at least two gay players on every team.

Currently, Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo is the only openly gay male top-level professional football player in the world.

What was said?

"When I was in England, they brought someone to talk to the team about homosexuality," Evra told Le Parisien.

"Some of my colleagues said, 'It is against my religion, if there is a homosexual in this locker room, let him leave the club' and other comments.

"At that time, I said, 'Shut up'. I played with players who were gay. Face to face, they opened up with me because they are afraid to speak otherwise.

"There are at least two players per club who are gay - but in the world of football, if you say so, it's over."

Cavallo suffers abuse

Evra's words came just days after Cavallo revealed he had suffered homophobic abuse during an A-League match against Melbourne Victory at the weekend.

The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that Adelaide United had asked South Australia Police to investigate death threats Cavallo had received on social media.

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