Inter Milan striker Diego Milito has backed Italy coach Cesare Prandelli's call for gay players to "come out".

Prandelli wrote the foreword to a book on homosexuality in sport, Il Campione Innamorato (the champion in love), and urged football players in the closet to come out and help break the taboo around this issue.

"I agree with what Prandelli said," commented Inter striker Milito. "Personally I've never realised if any of my teammates lived with this type of secret. If they did, it would be wrong to keep silent.

"I am sure that the fans, teammates and sponsors would continue to love the football player and couldn't care less about his private life. They would never, ever let such a situation weigh on him."