In the 1970s, the name Tony Powell was well-known in English football. Trained at Bournemouth and with over two hundred matches to his name, the central defender made the leap to Norwich City, where he became a key player. After four seasons at Carrow Road and successful campaigns with the Canary team, he was named Player of the Season in 1979.

However, amidst all the happiness, there was something more to tell: a fact that took over 40 years to come to light. His story, in particular, stems from the fear of having his sexual orientation discovered. Married with two young daughters, Powell struggled to accept that he was homosexual, especially during the time he lived in.

A strategic 'exile' After his time in England, the then-defender chose to emigrate to American football to join the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders. His destination? West Hollywood, California, recognized as the epicenter of the LGBTQ community.

The price to pay was steep: disappearing from his home country while leaving his family behind. Moreover, his escape plan was to find a refuge, which he found in the Holloway Motel. There, without anyone knowing about his past in sports, he worked as the manager of the establishment and later became the last occupant before its closure.

Right next to the main street of West Hollywood, the lights and California's bohemian lifestyle seemed to bury the memor…

" When he went to see him with his friend and fellow director Nicholas Freeman, he recalled that Powell told them he was a footballer. "We thought: Okay, crazy old man. " But Tony was right.

"He always seemed serious and grumpy, and I thought: Maybe he's writing a novel or fighting the city to save this beautiful Gothic motel, but he was just watching Arsenal or looking up the Norwich score," Pietros admitted. Tony Powell and homophobia in the Premier League Thus, the documentary, initially about the Holloway Motel, became a turning point in Tony Powell's life. First, the reunion with his siblings and also with his daughters, who did not want to appear on camera.

However, the face-to-face meeting was real. "They accepted me, and our mutual love remained intact even after everything they had been through," the former player told The Guardian. At his advanced age, Powell stated to the aforementioned source that "one of the main reasons I came out publicly was to try to change football so that young gay people could be themselves, but over the years I've heard many people say that everyone is too afraid.

" "It's too difficult to come out and be accepted, especially in the Premier League. Nothing has really changed. It remains a homophobic league," he asserted.

The former Norwich star and teammate of Justin Fashanu, the first footballer to come out as openly gay, from 1978 to 1981, still nostalgically remembers his struggle. "I would have loved to be the first person to come out as openly gay and continue playing, but I don't know what acceptance I would have received from the league and my teammates. I don't think that's possible.

But we can only hope that things change for gay players in the future," he concluded.