Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 21 February 1979 | ||
Place of birth | Drevja, Norway | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Youth career | |||
Nardo | |||
Lyn | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
1999–2000 | Lyn 2 | ||
1999 | Lyn | 3 | (0) |
2001–2002 | Drøbak/Frogn | ||
International career | |||
1998 | Norway U19 | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Thomas Berling (born 21 January 1979) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a defender. [1] His retirement from football sparked media attention.
He hails from Drevja. [2] He played for Nardo FK, and joined Lyn ahead of the 1999 season. He played three games in the second highest Norwegian league, [1] and also played for the under-19 national team. [3]
In 2000, he disappeared from professional football. It later surfaced that he had come out as gay, and that he quit football as a result of what he described as widespread homophobia in the football community. [3] In 2001, he briefly came out of retirement, playing for lower league Drøbak/Frogn IF. [3]
Berling's case was cited several times in the upcoming years, as the connection between homophobia and sport was discussed in the national media now and then. [4] [5] [6]