England ace’s surprise for Lord Ouseley

HUMBLED Lord Ouseley with award

AS Lord Herman Ouseley praises Viv Anderson for inspiring black footballers in Britain, he is interrupted by a familiar voice.

It is none other than Viv himself, who had been hiding out of view.

Lord Ouseley, 75, was there for a TV interview about his own career – or so he thought.

In fact he was there to be given a Pride of Britain Award for his life’s work campaigning for racial equality in football.

He said: “I’m very proud to receive it and very humbled by it.”

It was presented by Viv and is a highlight of the star-studded Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB, being aired on ITV on Sunday at

9pm. Lord Ouseley founded antidiscrimination charity Kick It

Out in 1993.

In the same year he became the first black executive chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality. He began campaigning after regularly witnessing – and receiving – abuse at matches in the 1970s.

Lord Ouseley said: “It was so painful. At the end of the 70s I stopped going when the violence, hooliganism, racism and antiSemitism was so unbelievably bad.”

He received his Pride of Britain Award in South London in the stands of Dulwich Hamlet FC, the club where he first played football.

Viv, 64, pictured inset, said: “He is a pioneer. He deserves this award.

“For him to knock down doors and get what he got in those early days must’ve been very, very difficult... He started this many years ago and his legacy lives on.”

In 1978, Viv became the first black footballer to play for England in a full international.