FIFA U-17 World Cup: Inclusive mindset puts England in an exclusive club

Inclusivity in English football is not restricted to the colts only. (Source: Reuters)

The England side that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Saturday encapsulated the inclusivity in the modern British society.

Unity in diversity

The starting line-up of the England team in the final against Spain read: Curtis Anderson, George McEachran, Marc Guehi, Jonathan Panzo, Phil Foden, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Rhian Brewster, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Joel Latibeaudiere, Steve Sessegnon and Morgan Gibbs White. Save Anderson, Foden and McEachran, other eight players came from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background. Five other players on the bench represented the black or minority ethnic groups. Skipper Latibeaudiere, the Doncaster-born centre-half who has his roots in Dominican Republic, received the World Cup from Gianni Infantino, along with Angel Gomes, a black Briton.

Senior team shows the way

Inclusivity in English football is not restricted to the colts only. The 2014 England World Cup squad had six players from the BAME background — Glen Johnson, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling. The 2016 Euro squad became the most diverse England squad ever, with further inclusion of Marcus Rashford, Dele Alli, Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand.

The pathbreakers

Viv Anderson was booed by a section of the fans, when he became the first black footballer to play for England in 1978. Then, John Barnes came and rose to stardom. Some racists still refused to recognise his wonder goal against Brazil in 1984, although the majority acknowledged it as England’s greatest goal ever. Paul Ince became the first black player to lead England. The number of non-white players in the Premier League has now risen to 33 per cent compared to 16 per cent in 1992.

The ‘new normal’

Diversity has become the ‘new normal’ in English football and the organisations like Kick It Out played a major role in it. The campaign started in 1993, with the name: ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football’. Four years down the line it became an organisation, supported by the Football Association (FA), the Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA). The #WeAreAllEngland campaign, launched ahead of the 2016 Euro, focused on celebrating the shared identity and getting people from all backgrounds on the football pitch.

Transgressions

Racism still occasionally rears its ugly head in English football. The Eni Aluko-Mark Sampson controversy serves as the latest example. Sampson, the sacked England Women manager, was found guilty of racially abusing Eni Aluko and her team mate Drew Spence. Sampson reportedly told Aluko to ensure that her Nigerian relatives didn’t bring Ebola virus to Wembley. Sampson had also allegedly asked Spence how many times she had been arrested. The FA has since fired the manager and apologised to the two players.