A lineup made up of some of the best players in gay and gay-friendly soccer in the UK has triumphed over a team of members of parliament.

The friendly match was held on Tuesday morning (19 March) in London, organized on the one-year anniversary of the Football Association launching their anti-homophobia campaign 'Opening Doors and Joining In'.

The Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) squad, who wore Stonewall ‘Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!’ t-shirts, won 3-1, leading the game early in the first half.

American international and former British Leeds United football midfielder Robbie Rogers has come out as gay.

The 25-year-old told fans he no longer wants to keep his sexuality a secret.

He added he ‘couldn’t be happier’ with his decision.

He’s the highest profile footballer to come out in Britain’s national game since Justin Fashanu in 1990. He committed suicide in 1998.

Writing on his blog Rogers said he had feared coming out as gay would get in the way of his dreams.

Chelsea and England soccer legend Graeme Le Saux is to be a star player for the fight against homophobia in sport by joining with Student Pride.

The 44-year-old has been the victim of anti-gay abuse from other football players and fans before, despite being married with two kids.

Now he’s going to score a goal for gays by joining the Student Pride panel debate on homophobia in sport on 1 March in Brighton, south east England.

Two top-level Russian footballers have sparked outrage after a series of 'gay' holiday pictures have emerged.

Pavel Mamayev, 24, a midfielder for CSKA Moscow, and Alexander Kokorin, 21, a striker from FC Dynamo Moscow, are believed to be in a relationship after ‘intimate’ photographs of them were posted on the internet.

On VK, an Eastern-European social network similar to Facebook, Kokorin posted one of the pictures, saying ‘I love him’.

Other snaps include the two hugging, sharing dinner, going to a basketball game, and having a bath together.

Britain's Football Association is urging gay players to come out, saying they shouldn't be afraid to be open about their sexuality.

FA chairman David Bernstein said the governing body's action plan to tackle homophobia in the sport means players should have the confidence to be openly gay.

UK clubs now face sanctions if they fail to deal with discrimination against players, coaches or fans.

The FA Board plans also include induction days for foreign players on Britain's cultural values.

A spoof calendar of football managers in homoerotic poses has become a sell-out Christmas stocking filler for soccer fans.

'Sexy Managers' is the brainchild of illustrator James Husbands and each month features a cartoon of soccer bosses in different saucy scenarios.

Gay rights campaigners are urging the UK’s Football Association to get tough on anti-gay hate in the sport.

Stonewall is working with the FA on initiatives to tackle the issue, but they say it is up to the authorities to create an environment in which players are not fearful about the consequences of coming out.

‘Anti-gay abuse is all too common on both terraces and pitches. This abuse almost always goes unchallenged,' Chief Executive Ben Summerskill said. 

Pioneering and history-making, these eight black LGBT heroes need to be remembered. The sad truth is there have been many many more heroes whose stories have not been recorded for future generations. The stories we do tell here are those of remarkable individuals who overcame tremendous obstacles to clear the path for black and LGBT people to go further in the arts, politics and sport.

Richard Bruce Nugent (1906 to 1987)

The UK government is calling homophobia the biggest problem in football compared to other forms of discrimination.

In a report released today (19 September), the Culture, Media and Sport Committee have revealed their latest findings on racism and homophobia in the sport.

Recent research has found 25% of fans think football is homophobic while 10% think football is racist.

About 14% of recent match attendees also reported hearing homophobic abuse.

German chancellor Angela Merkel is telling gay footballers they should have no fear of revealing their sexuality.

The chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union met officials at a forum in Berlin to discuss integration and diversity in sport yesterday (13 September).

She said: ‘I am of the opinion that anyone who sums up the strength and bravery – and we have a long tradition of this behind us in politics – should know that they live in a land where they have nothing to fear.

English footballer Joey Barton was arrested for a fight that happened outside a gay club in Liverpool in the early hours of Monday morning (5 June).

British newspaper The Mirror reported the controversial Queen’s Park Ranger midfielder had been involved in an altercation, and he said on Twitter he was ‘sucker punched in the back of the head.’