As part of Rainbow Laces Week, you can now watch the new documentary 'Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story' on Sky Store.
Sky Sports is again supporting the Stonewall campaign's annual November activation to help 'make sport everyone's game' and promote inclusion for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) in sport.
In football in particular, incidents of homophobia are still far too prevalent. ICM research for Stonewall conducted in 2016 found that 72 per cent of football fans had heard homophobic abuse while watching live sporting events in the preceding five years.
'Forbidden Games' charts the life story of one of British football's most complex characters. Justin Fashanu transferred to Nottingham Forest for £1m in 1981 - the first black player to command such a fee - after a stellar start to his playing career at Norwich. However, his career went into decline as he struggled with his sexuality amid a culture and society where homophobia and racism were still commonplace.
Injuries also took their toll on Fashanu's mental health and form, and he began to take on a nomadic existence, moving from club to club.
Then, in October 1990, Fashanu came out as gay in an interview in a national tabloid newspaper. The backlash he received, particularly from his brother John, threw his already chaotic life into further turmoil. Justin ended up committing suicide in May 1998.
To date, Fashanu remains the only active male professional player to come out.
To try and make sense of the myth and mystery that still surrounds Fashanu's life, Jon Carey and Adam Darke amassed a wealth of archive footage and conducted a range of new interviews with those who knew Justin - including his brother John.
The resulting documentary is a compelling study of a tortured soul whose legacy continues to loom over the professional game.
'Forbidden Games' is available to watch now on Sky Store.