England players at heart of anti-racism campaign
Some of the England players who stood up to the racists in Bulgaria are among the faces of a Premier League campaign imploring fans to help combat the issue at home and abroad.
Raheem Sterling, Tammy Abraham, Trent Alexander-arnold and Jordan Pickford are among players fronting the league’s “No Room For Racism” campaign, which has the backing of the Football Association, Kick It Out and the police.
A video launching the campaign will be broadcast prior to kick-offs on stadium big screens this weekend. The launch had been planned before the scenes in Sofia on Monday, when England twice stopped their Euro 2020 qualifier after monkey chants from Bulgarian fans.
Richard Masters, the league’s interim chief executive, said the stand by England’s players in enacting the first stage of Uefa’s protocol was a shining example. “I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing,” he said, citing the Nazi salutes and chorus of monkey chants. “It was terrible. ITV, the players, Gareth and the FA dealt with it in an exemplary fashion.” The Premier League is hoping its two-week awareness campaign will encourage fans to be more proactive in tipping off stewards about offensive language and abuse.
Work also includes reviewing how offenders are identified, investigated and sanctioned, the league said. CCTV coverage at grounds and body-worn cameras will be deployed more widely. Footballing bodies have also held meetings with Twitter in an attempt to increase security against racist trolls.
“Tackling discrimination is a priority,” Masters said. “Education is crucial and our clubs run fantastic community programmes focused on the importance of equality and inclusion. Within the game we are committed to creating more pathways for black coaches.”
The monkey chanting in Sofia was the second time during the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign that Sterling had faced severe abuse. Manager Gareth Southgate and Luther Blissett, the first black player to score a hat-trick for England, want the home nations to get harder on racism domestically. Blissett said the Premier League should consider beaming video footage of those shouting abuse on big screens at matches to shame those involved.
The campaign will also feature Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, Norwich’s Teemu Pukki and Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson. The league is working with a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic advisory group, chaired by Darren Moore, manager of Doncaster.