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Josh Cavallo, the Australian footballer who came out as gay in 2021 while playing in the A-League Men, has, according to Reuters reports, accused his former club Adelaide United of homophobia that he says stalled his career and contributed to his departure.
Adelaide United has issued a formal denial, saying selection decisions were made on football grounds and rejecting any suggestion the club is homophobic.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, Cavallo wrote that leaving Adelaide “had nothing to do with football,” alleging decisions by “people in power” blocked his opportunities “because of who I choose to love.”
He also alleged he was kept off the pitch due to “politics,” adding that “internal homophobia” left him on the bench.
The allegations land in a space where performance, injuries, and selection are difficult to disentangle from culture and workplace dynamics. Cavallo played 49 matches over five seasons at Adelaide, according to the club’s earlier description of his exit, and he left in May 2025 to pursue an opportunity overseas.
Independent match context shows his minutes had sharply fallen before the split. AAP reported Cavallo did not feature last season, was an unused substitute eight times under then-coach Carl Veart, and last played for Adelaide in February 2024, after which injuries were part of the public explanation around his absence.
Adelaide United responded Tuesday with a short, blunt statement: the club said it was “extremely disappointed” by the claims and “categorically rejects the allegations,” adding that “all on-field decisions relating to team selection are made solely on footballing grounds.” It also pointed to its inclusion work and said it would not comment further.
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On Wednesday, Adelaide United chief executive Nathan Kosmina went further, telling ABC News that Cavallo never raised concerns with the club about homophobia or selection decisions linked to his sexuality while he was there.
Kosmina said the allegations were not “true and factual” based on what the club had, and argued the timing has “tarnished” people associated with Adelaide.
The dispute is unfolding in the lead-up to Adelaide’s fourth annual Pride Cup fixture against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, a match the club referenced in its statement and ABC also highlighted as the next major event on the calendar.
Cavallo’s claims also reopen a long-running question for the sport: how safe, practically, it is for openly gay men inside elite dressing rooms. He has previously spoken publicly about receiving daily death threats since coming out.
Football authorities and clubs have faced scrutiny on LGBTQ+ abuse in recent years. In 2022, Melbourne Victory acknowledged homophobic comments directed at Cavallo during a match, and later reporting noted the club was fined over the incident.
Cavallo now plays in the UK, with Australian outlets and international sports media reporting he is with Stamford, after leaving Adelaide in 2025.
What remains unresolved is the central question Cavallo raises: whether decisions he experienced as professional exclusion were driven by bias inside the club, or whether Adelaide’s football-only explanation fully accounts for his absence.
For now, the public record contains Cavallo’s allegations, the club’s denial, and a timeline of reduced playing time and injuries reported by wire services and Australian media.
