In a year filled with apprehension and unease amidst a global pandemic, we thought it was only right to highlight the successes that have occurred over the last 12 months in the football world. Whether it be fighting against Super League scandals or a community coming together to oppose negativity with a united front, let’s celebrate those who pushed forward change this past year. Because despite the seemingly inescapable negativity that circulates around social media, gratitude and the goodness of people will always prevail.
1. Alex Scott makes history as first English female commentator in EA Sports FIFA
Alex Scott, more than anything, epitomises the new wave of football pundits – more attuned to the modern game, more informed on tactical systems and, as “The Gamer” puts it, less likely to blame losses on a lack of passion and belief. And when Alex Scott was added to EA Sport’s FIFA franchise, it marked much more than a new voice on a video game. Simply put, it was milestone. Not just because the addition made her the first female commentator in the default English voice cast, or the first Black commentator on the video game as well. By FIFA’s 10 Million+ fans hearing Alex Scott as a pitch-side reporter in Career Mode, women working in the male-dominated industries of football and gaming will continue to be normalised. Female voices will continue to be projected for girls aspiring to work in those fields. And football commentary will continue to strive towards a system of meritocracy, where the best pundits will emerge as the leading voices on radio, television and now consoles, too.
2. Denmark players show leadership after team-mate Christian Eriksen collapses
As star player Christian Eriksen went down in the 43rd minute of Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 match, the football world stood still. Uncertainty mixed with an undeniable sense of fear cast all over the 12,500, deathly silent, fans in attendance. But in a life-or-death ordeal, there will be a select few who
will stand up, remain composed and take control. A select few who will restore hope. Simon Kjaer appearing to clear Eriksen’s airways after arriving first onto the scene. Kasper Schmeichel joining him to comfort the midfielder’s wife on the sidelines. The cohort of Danish team-mates huddling around to form a human shield in the face of contentious broadcasting decisions. And, of course, the heroic medics and officials who followed the protocol to life-preserving efficiency. A harrowing experience, which sparked not only life, but a level of hope and courage that will be applauded for as long as this story lives on.
3. Premier League promises to ban racist abusers from all EPL grounds
The Premier League issued a statement confirming that all fans who engage in racist abuse, or any other forms of discriminatory behaviour, will be banned from all Premier League grounds. Whilst ‘overdue’ is an understatement, the decision marked the continuation of an effort to make the message loud and clear: racism will not be tolerated in the game. And although the statement should be common knowledge, issues such as the aftermath of England’s Euro 2020 exit prove the charge is far from over. This was one essential step in the direction of change. To make football a safer place for everyone. To set up a barrier against the pandemic of racist abusers forever fighting against progress. To keep the ‘Beautiful Game’ just that.
4. Josh Cavallo becomes first active professional male footballer to come out as gay
The world of football has notoriously been an unsafe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community. However, when Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo took an unprecedented step in embracing who he truly is, in doing so the 21-year-old not only empowered an immeasurable amount of people in the game, but forced the footballing world to take a huge step into long-overdue change. Wanting to show “everyone is welcome in the game of football and deserves the right to be their authentic self”, Cavallo emerged as the forefront of a vital charge in proving that, for fans and players alike, it’s okay to be who you are.
5, Fans across the globe come together to put an end to Super League proposals
As news broke out that the leading clubs in Europe had constructed plans for a closed breakaway league, the overwhelming majority of football fans across the globe saw the league for what it truly was. A dangerous scheme that undermines commonly accepted principles of sporting merit, promotion and relegation, in order to concentrate wealth in the hands of a dozen or so elite clubs. But the ‘elite’ had miscalculated. Not in terms of financial capability, resources or regulations, but in the sheer willpower of supporters who wanted nothing more than to have their voice heard. Protest after protest. Social media outburst. An unrelenting presence preserved the integrity of our game against a project that was anything but – proving football is, and will always be, nothing without the fans.
6. Mesut Özil launches development centre for British South Asian community
Working in partnership with the FA and Bradford City, Mesut Ozil announced the launching of the Football for Peace Mesut Ozil Centre – a development centre in Bradford aimed at breaking down barriers for the South Asian community to follow a path into elite sport. The ground breaking initiative was part of a wider effort to inevitably try and tackle the, as Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari puts it, “biggest statistical anomaly in football”; that being the fact that despite making up approximately eight percent of the UK population, South Asians in England account for just 0.25 percent of the players across the football leagues. With Zidane Iqbal’s Manchester United debut inspiring a whole new generation of British South Asians in football, perhaps schemes like the Football for Peace Mesut Ozil Centre will help propel the next batch of Zidane Iqbals, and the next batch of role models in the footballing world.
7. A united front prevails following the vandalism of Marcus Rashford mural
After the Marcus Rashford mural in Withington was defaced following England’s EURO 2021 exit, hundreds of heartfelt notes were placed on the artwork – all displaying a level of support and solidarity that seemed few and far between in the aftermath of the July 11 heartbreak. The shirts, scarves, flags and notes acted as a symbol for the rejection of hate by not only the local community, but the country as a whole; proving that despite the seemingly inescapable abundance of negativity that circulates on social media, gratitude and the goodness of people will always prevail.
