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There’s no escaping the fact we’re enduring a race row in English football. Recently, Premier League players such as Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose have experienced racist abuse from supporters on the field, prompting the former to call for point-deductions and the latter to admit he “can’t wait to see the back of football”.
What’s more, Chelsea fans have been reprimanded for racist chanting towards Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, and Troy Deeney has encountered racist trolls on his social media.
It may be argued that because of this reemerging deplorable prejudice, the game we so lovingly laud as beautiful is now turning ugly.
However, Newcastle United’s current ‘United as One’ campaign has sought to bring back the beauty of football, laying down a marker for all football clubs in the process.
The new brand identity, which was launched by the club on Saturday during their Premier League game against Southampton at St James’ Park, seeks to bring fans, players, staff and representatives alike together, linking all of the club’s work in the fields of diversity, inclusion and welfare.
During Saturday’s game, Newcastle players wore a black and white solidarity ribbon on their shirts and the pre-match build-up featured a passionate speech from ex-player Shola Ameobi, who has become one of a ‘starting eleven’ United As One ambassadors.
He joins current captain Jamaal Lascelles, midfielder Ki Sung-yueng and eight supporters, who were special guests at Saturday’s match.
I attended the game myself, and the atmosphere generated within the ground was something to behold; fans in the gallowgate unveiled a flag reading “Things aren’t always black and white. United as one against prejudice” and the pitch side screens displayed messages of solidarity throughout the match.
This filled St James’ with a palpable energy of positivity which evidently transpired onto the pitch, as the players performed with the exact togetherness that the campaign encourages – helping them to a resounding 3-1 victory over their Southern counterparts.
The new initiative speaks volumes for how Premier League clubs can react to, and help prevent, discriminatory behaviour in terms of recognising their societal and cultural responsibility. Speaking to NUFC.com, Newcastle’s Managing Director Lee Charnley said:
“We are proud of the work we are doing to improve inclusion and welfare at our club.
“With great support from the players, staff, supporters, sponsors and the Premier League, we are working to cultivate a culture as varied as that of the great city we are honoured to represent.”
Newcastle have been renowned for underachieving, with business tycoon owner Mike Ashley and his sidekick-in-tow Lee Charnley diminishing past glory days through their failure to connect properly with fans and invest in the club.
This has meant the Magpies have endured some tricky seasons, failing to compete with the top half of the table for sustained periods and often flirting with relegation – much like this campaign.
However, whilst they can be accused of profusely preventing the club from achieving the things it so readily desires on the field, the club’s hierarchy must be commended for this progressive campaign that polishes the club’s off-field reputation and sets the bar high for other Premier League outfits.
