Tom Daley said yesterday that any footballer would be surprised by the support they would receive if they chose to reveal that they were homosexual.

The 20-year-old diver, who announced on YouTube last December that he was in a relationship with Hollywood screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, does not believe any public figure should have to discuss their sexuality.

Yet Daley, an Olympic bronze-medallist at London 2012, thinks football would accept an openly gay player despite no active player making their sexuality known for fear of being the subject of prejudice and target of abuse.

“I think people would be surprised how supported they’d be if they were to come out in a football environment,” Daley said at the Leaders in Sport conference in London.

“(But) you don’t have to do a YouTube video and announce that you’re straight. It shouldn’t be anyone’s business.

“You should just be able to live your life the way you want to live it.

“It comes down to each individual person. At the time I individually felt ready, I did it. Everyone’s been really supportive.”

Daley has no worries with travelling to Kazan for next year’s Aquatics World Championships, despite Russia’s anti-gay legislation.

He has no plans to make any political statement similar to ones made during this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about going to Russia,” he added.

“I’ve been there five, six times before and never had any problems.

“You go there to dive, you don’t go there thinking about doing anything other than that.

“For me, I wouldn’t go there thinking: ‘Oh, I’m going to do this’ or ‘I have to do this’. I just go there and focus on my performance.”

Daley’s YouTube revelation was discussed with his sponsors prior to being posted on the internet and allowed him to control what was said.

He added: “There were so many different opinions of what I should do, how I should do it. A TV interview, a press interview, all those different ideas.

“YouTube just felt natural. I was able to say everything I wanted to say without being asked any extra questions.”

Asked if it had affected his numerous endorsements, Daley, added: “I don’t think it’s massively changed anything (commercially). If anything it’s been positive.”