Star of new film about gay players calls for football's stars to show support

The film is tackling a subject that is particularly poignant at this time, given the violent and intimidatory treatment of LGBTQ people in Russia over recent years as the country hosts the World Cup.

It follows two players who play in the youth set up at Swiss club Young Boys Bern, and after they move in to an appartment together they start to develop a friendship which becomes more intimate. As the film progresses, the two players try their best to hide the nature of their relationship, but when they are discovered by other members of the team they have to make a choice between their personal lives and their footballing careers.

"This film was made for all those who love the game," says the director and co-writer of the film Marcel Gisler, "and it's also hugely important to reach an audience that's not LGBT. It's just really difficult to reach them."

The subject of this project is also particularly important for the game after the MLS's Collin Martin became only the seventh male professional player to come out as openly gay.

While football has tried to sopme extent to show its support for the LGBTQ community, such as the Premier League's adoption of the 'rainbow laces' in recent years, there are still no openly gay players in any of the professional leagues in European football.

Gisler believes that the problem of homophobia in football, for the most part, is not an overt issue but at the very core of what football is thought to be.

"Nowadays, no public figure in a world like professional football is a vocal homophobe because it's not politically correct to be. The problems are not so much personal - it's more systemic or industrial." he explained.

The makers of 'Mario' have been very complimentary of the trestment they received at Young Boys Bern during the filming of this project, and think that bigger clubs and players should do more to show that it being gay and being a professional footballer are not incompatible. 

"I want people to take away that you can be really tender as a person, but you can still be a good sportsman. It's not mutually exclusive. You can be tough and soft at the same time." said star of the film Aaron Altaras

"Mario and Leon are both like that - they are tender and loving with each other at home, and then amazingly aggressive footballers."