Sparta player Jakub Jankt talks openly about his coming out at the age of fourteen

Of course, before the public “coming out”, he first did a private one. However, there is not a single moment that would force him to open up, everything happened gradually. “At first, I planned to announce it only to the neighborhood, but it eventually resulted in a public coming out. I told my parents and friends a year and a half ago. A few months ago, then to teammates in the cabin,” commented the 27-year-old midfielder for the Spanish daily Marca.

He was pleased that the cabin accepted his announcement without any problems. “The teammates took it completely normally, there was no change in the cabin,” he testified.

The important step was taken over by the highest officials of the club. “Of course, I consulted with Sparta’s management. There had to be some form for the notice to be correct. Coach Brian Priske, František Čupr and Tomáš Rosický from the management of Sparta supported me a lot. I am grateful to the club,” he spared no words of thanks towards the employer.

In addition to the great wave of support, he also faced quite unpleasant comments and messages. “I try not to respond to negative comments and prefer not to even read them, but I don’t blame anyone. I expect to hear the comments in the matches, but I won’t react to them. It is clear to me that I will be a target for both the opponent and the spectators.” he pointed out.

Some time has passed since the coming out, so the smart winger can evaluate reactions with distance. “It was a difficult four weeks, especially the first one, because I didn’t know what to expect. But the reactions were perfect in the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy. It certainly helps me a lot to live in peace and focus on football, which is the first priority for me. Football first, then I can focus on other things as well,” he also appreciated the wave of positive feedback.

He also revealed whether this step had been planned for a long time, or whether it was a short-term decision. “I decided to come out the moment I felt like it. It’s not like I’ve been thinking about it all my life. I don’t know what happened, but there are certain things you want to say. You want to live the way you feel. You only live once, then there is nothing. Now I’m free,” he confided that a large stone fell from his heart.

Not everything was perfect and there were some easy obstacles. With the help of his loved ones, he has overcome everything so far. “The only thing that was a little more difficult was our son, but thanks to Markéta we came to an agreement and we do everything for our son,” he talked about family troubles, which, fortunately, did not turn out to be of a more serious nature.

He was also very open about the fact when he became aware of his homosexual orientation. “When I was little and I was fourteen or fifteen years old, I understood that something was different. I tried to have relationships with women, but I felt that something was wrong. It didn’t make sense to continue like this all my life,” he shocked by fighting with himself for many years.

Towards the end, he again returned to the fact that he would like his football career to be dealt with first and foremost. He certainly does not regret his decision, but he wants to live a completely normal life. “I hope that everything will continue as if nothing happened. I want to move forward as a footballer, not as a gay man. I guess it will be. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I can definitely help and lead by example. I want to set a good example,” remarked Jakub Jankto, who also perceives that thanks to his courage he became one of the pioneers.

Subsequently, he just sent thanks and a message to all those who supported him or are in a similar situation as he himself was before. “I want to thank all the people who wrote me positive messages, there were a lot of them. And I want to tell everyone who has a different orientation that it’s not a problem and they can live normally,” added Jakub Jankto.