German Soccer Official Asks Gay Players to Come Out

Outgoing German soccer federation president Theo Zwanziger has asked gay players to come out and "have the courage to declare themselves."

Zwanziger spoke at a Tuesday conference organized by the soccer federation and said although it may be difficult to come out as a member of a team, society is more understanding than even a few years ago. There are currently no openly gay players in Germany's professional leagues.

Philipp Lahm, a captain for the German national team, disagreed, saying he didn't "think that the society is that far ahead that it can accept homosexual players as something normal [in soccer]."