This is an extract from the essay ‘A Parallel History of Black Footballers’ published in ‘A New Formation, How Black Footballers Shaped The Modern Game’, edited by Calum Jacobs and published by Merky books.
Understanding and unpacking the impact of Black Muslim footballers on fans is as much about acknowledging the messiness of memory and fandom as it is recognising how the hyper-white British media and footballing establishment have, through targeting their vitriol at particular individuals, inadvertently built heroes for British Muslims.
Almost everyone I spoke with told me how important Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba had become as a prominent Black Muslim footballer playing in the Premier League precisely because he had been so ostracised for his clothing, hair choices and attitude. His detractors often claim these things impacted his ‘focus’ – a trope often levelled at Black footballers in general.
