Manchester City’s Women Super League and Arsenal win over crowds on Saturday as players from both sides take a stand against racism for Black History Month.
Across each month of October across the UK, fans and players alike gather around to celebrate the successes of African and Caribbean challengers and game changers who fought to share their stories, heritage and culture all over the world.
The movement has gained notoriety within this country since 1987, with the arrival of Ghanian analyst and activist Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, as an escape from the regime of Jerry John Rawlings. Stating in 2017: “I was stirred up in the mid 1980s by the identity crisis that Black children faced. More had to be done and so I conceived an annual celebration of the contributions of Africa, Africans, and people of African descent to world civilisation.”
With that came the rise of several legends amongst the Premier League such as The Gabonese Goal Scorer, The Senegalese Sensation and the Ivorian Legend. Players such as Yaya Touré and Sadio Mané not only becoming trailblazers within their respective teams, but also building on their legacies outside of the pitch with their education and healthcare initiatives to support their local communities. Becoming aspirational figures of football both within and outside the ever-expanding football environment.
This month, on Oct. 7 2025, audiences and players were reminded of the legacy and impact made across several decades when the players from Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal stood together ahead of kick-off, in a circle with their arms linked together . In a brilliant showcase of support and sportsmanship, Manchester City alongside the Women’s Super League, Kick it Out and the Football Supporters’ Association showed the world that football isn’t a space for racism or discrimination.
Slowly, but surely, football is becoming a space built from the blood, sweat and tears from countless players from diverse backgrounds and cultures. A field where anyone can change the game and win their goals. This event, and others like it in the sports industry, presents us all with opportunities to focus on and celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black people across the world.
As Tottenham captain Bethany England puts it in her interview with the BBC –
“As players, we have chosen to not take the knee before kick-off this afternoon. Instead, we will stand up against racism,”
