If one in 10 people are gay, where are all the gay Premiership stars? It’s a question that is often asked, but there are only whispers, dodgy rumours and malicious media gossip for answers. Football, it seems, is one of the last professional environments where you cannot be out and proud.

”I remember standing on the terraces as a young man watching Luton, Watford, Spurs or Arsenal and listening to the fans spout off about the referee. It’s no different for players: we sit in the dressing room after the game and debate the decisions ourselves,” writes Portsmouth goalkeeper David James.

Football and art have yet to really make a connection. Horse racing and cricket, athletics and even golf have made it into the classical arena, but football has been left behind. The few examples of football and art that I have seen tend to be static and devoid of feeling — the antithesis of the game itself.