Thomas Berling
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 February 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Drevvassbygda, 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 Drevvassbygda.[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]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Thomas Berling Profile". Lyn Football.net (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ "- Homohets knekker potensielle profiler". VG (in Norwegian). 28 April 2001. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ a b c "Homohets rammet landslagsspiller". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). 27 April 2001. Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ Christiansen, Anders K. (12 November 2004). "Reagerer kraftig på Rekdals homoutspill". VG (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ Pettersen, Charlotte Lokland; Kleve, Marie; Nordseth, Pål (19 September 2008). "- Håper han blir tatt vel i mot". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ Nordli, Øyvind (19 September 2012). "Han merket homohetsen på kroppen" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
External links
[edit]- Thomas Berling at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
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- 1979 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Nordland
- Norwegian men's footballers
- Norway men's youth international footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Lyn Fotball players
- Drøbak-Frogn IL players
- Norwegian First Division players
- Norwegian LGBTQ footballers
- Gay sportsmen
- Norwegian football defender stubs
- LGBTQ-related biography stubs