Sportsmail’s Micah Richards named as one of the most influential black people in British football
Sportsmail’s Micah Richards has been named as one of the most influential black people in British football.
Richards’s rise as a pundit and columnist has been recognised by his inclusion in the media category of the Football Black List 2020 which is announced on Thursday.
The former England and Manchester City defender has emerged as one of the most popular and insightful analysts of the game since retiring last summer.
Sportsmail’s Micah Richards has been recognised as one of the most influential black people in British football following his rise as a pundit and columnist
Richards, who joined the Sportsmail team in August, is joined by a whole host of figures from all areas of football, on and off the pitch, whose contributions have also been honoured.
The Football Black List was founded in 2008 by sports journalists Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds to highlight the positive contributions to the sport from the black community.
Marcus Rashford leads the list of current stars whose achievements have been marked after his successful campaign to raise awareness about child food poverty which earned him an MBE.
Marcus Rashford’s successful campaign to raise awareness about child food poverty, which earned him an MBE, has been recognised
Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings and Watford’s Troy Deeney are two other stars in the players section, named after the late Cyrille Regis, having used their platforms and profiles to challenge racial injustice.
Crystal Palace duo Wilfried Zaha, for his support of NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, and women’s goalkeeper Chloe Morgan, who has raised awareness of both black representation and LGBT+ inclusion in the women’s game, made the list too.
As well as players, figures from the administration, coaching and management, commercial, community and grassroots, LGBT+, media and practitioners sectors of football feature on the list.
Charlton under-23s and England youth coach Jason Euell and referee Sam Allison, whose stories have both been covered by Sportsmail, have also been included on the prestigious list.
Tyrone Mings and Troy Deeney have used their platform and profile to tackle racial injustice
A panel of experts from the community and football industry looked at a long list of nominations before a voting process to decide the final award winners.
The panel included representation from the Premier League, The Football Association, Professional Footballers’ Association, League Managers Association, English Football League and Kick It Out.
Black List co-founder Hinds said: ‘Yet again the Football Black List has unearthed many in the community that are doing great work.’
Mann added: ‘The Football Black List provides a snapshot of the wonderful contribution the Black community makes to the national sport. We hope it inspires the next generation of Black leaders to follow those listed and the initiative helps encourage the football industry to put diversity at the top of the agenda – where it needs to be to make much needed progress in this area.’
