Fashanu biographer seeks Ruckus material

Calling all fans, players and coaches of the Atlanta Ruckus, especially from the 1997 season:

Want to be involved in a book project?

A British author writing a biography of the late Justin Fashanu has contacted me looking for material from his Atlanta Ruckus days.

From the questions posed it sounds like the Atlanta portion of his life is something the author is straining to research.

If you have something you’d like to share about Fashanu for the book, e-mail me at atlantasoccernews@gmail.com and I can get you in touch with the writer.

If you’re not familiar with Fashanu, a little tragic history: He played here briefly in 1997, not long after becoming the first (and still only) openly gay British soccer player.

After he left Atlanta, he latched on with the A-League Mania in Maryland, where he was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy.

Fashanu denied the allegations, but not long after that he fled to Britian, committing suicide in London.

Earlier this year his niece Amal, the daughter of John Fashanu, a star player in his own right, joined an anti-homophobia campaign in the U.K.