He said: “I am homosexual, and I no longer want to hide myself.”
He also expressed his wish to live “without fear, without prejudice, without violence but with love.”
The 27-year-old is currently on loan to Sparta Prague from Spanish side Getafe. The Czech club shared the video on its official twitter account and released a statement regarding Jankto’s sexuality, revealing it was something he had previously discussed with management, coaches and team-mates. “No further comments. No questions. You have our support,” they said. “Nothing else matters.”
You have our support. Nothing else matters
Getafe also posted their response to Twitter, declaring their “utmost respect and unconditional support”.
Following the video, Jankto has been met with widespread support. International body FIFA wrote on Twitter, “football is for everyone”, and when asked about the video in an interview, Brazilian football star Neymar showed his approval, stating “each person should be free.”
Fans have also been overwhelmingly supportive in the wake of the news. Substituted onto the field in the 69th minute, Jankto was met with cheers from the stands as he played his first game since coming out against Czech team Jablonec, in which he scored a match-stealing goal. Regarding the response, the player claimed it was “a minute [he] will never forget.”
The announcement comes less than a year after Blackpool forward Jake Daniels became the first active openly gay player in the UK. Australian player Josh Cavallo came out in 2021; Jankto joins him as one of a very small number of high-profile openly gay playes in the mens game. Despite this, perhaps in coming out Jankto can inspire more to do the same.