Sunderland legend Gary Bennett shows support for anti-racism football tournament, marking its fifth year running

The former Black Cats defender presented the Sunderland Scholars team with the tournament trophy at rain-soaked Ford Hub pitches in Sunderland.

The fifth instalment of the competition, staged by Wearside multicultural organisation, Young Asian Voices, saw a number of teams comprising around 80 participants from across the region compete and stand in solidarity under the banner of anti-racism.

A knock-out competition of 11-a-side games lasting between 15 and 20 minutes saw the Sunderland Scholars side emerge eventual winners in a fiercely-contested day of football.

Part of a roster of initiatives across the North East to honour Black History month, the South Hylton event saw a number of participants reflect on the role that grassroots football can play in stamping out racism from the beautiful game.

Mr Bennett said, despite the emergence of professional role models who in some cases lead the way on sporting tolerance, there is still much work to be done in this regard.

“The focus has mainly been on the professional game this past year,” he said.

"But obviously we have to look right down into football at a grassroots level as well. The key thing is education – events like these are all about educating young people, bringing them together and hopefully encouraging them to take that message on board and pass it on.”

Daniel McElhone, from the Durham Football Association, which helped coordinate the anti-racism event, highlighted ongoing discrimination problems within the amateur side of the game, urging any victims of abuse or harassment to come forward and report it to the local footballing body.

"Racism still exists in the grassroots game,” he said.

"We want to hear about any form of discrimination – whether it’s racism, homophobia or any other kind – as it’s something we take very seriously. The charges that come down on players, officials and spectators are severe and should serve as a deterrent.

"We’re proud to stand with organisations like Young Asian Voices and Show Racism The Red Card. Hopefully, together we can make the sport as inclusive as possible for as many people as we can.”

Mr McElhone added that the Durham FA would be working particularly hard to encourage more girls and women in the region to get involved with the sport over the coming years.

21-year-old Aeyan Sharif, who was voted the tournament’s best young player, believes groups like Young Asian Voices are making a noticeable difference in the struggle to promote tolerance in youth football.

“In the four years since I started playing, things have changed a lot,” the Millfield resident said.

"This is excellent. But there still has to be more action from the top – from the FA and professional groups – to push racism out of the sport.

"YAV takes a really proactive approach to tackling racism in every shape it takes. I’m really happy with the work they’ve done.”

Young Asian Voices’ executive manager, Kumareswaradas Ramanathas, emphasised the tournament’s role in promoting community cohesion through the universal language of the sport.

He said: “This tournament was all about bringing communities together.

"It’s a partnership between many organisations in the city – including Sunderland Council, the Foundation of Light and the Sunderland BAME Network – as part of Black History Month 2021.

"Everyone who wanted to help was here. We had teams from Sunderland, guest teams from Newcastle and Sunderland turned up and elders from the local BAME community.

"Friendship and diversity has been at the heart of it all. It’s been fantastic to see.”

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