The Manchester United forward and other players have become lightning rods in a debate which is yet to be resolvedOnce again it falls on Marcus Rashford to lead. The Manchester United forward used his voice this weekend to bring clarity and focus to a problem that should not exist. This time it was not child food poverty that he wanted to talk about, but racism. Racism and the pernicious effect it has, not only on its victims, but on the society that allows it to fester.Rashford was one of several Premier League footballers to have abuse directed at their social media accounts this past week. He wasn’t even the only one in his team. No one knows how many players...
The Manchester United attacker has risen from sportsman to statesman with his campaign for free school mealsFirst Marcus Rashford put in a decent shift on the pitch. Then came an even more impressive one off it.Barely 45 minutes after a pallid, punchless 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Saturday night, the Manchester United striker was back working his second job: a three-hour magic set in which dozens of cafes, churches, restaurants and ordinary folk all promised him they would donate free food to the poorest children in society during this half-term. Related: Open letter from UK paediatricians about free school meals Related: Children’s doctors attack Tories over free school meals Related: The Observer view on the Commons vote to let poor...
Ignore the cynical, mean-spirited grumblings and, as this inspiring 22-year-old says, concentrate on what can be done when we work togetherSome PR stunt. In securing free school meals for deprived children over the summer holidays, Marcus Rashford has generated more tangible good with his voice than he ever will with his feet. In forcing the prime minister into a hasty spin of the heels, Rashford has delivered a timely reminder that football’s influence and cultural currency stretch well beyond its own borders. And by reaching beyond those borders in an urgent and worthwhile cause, he has demonstrated the power of common resolve and common purpose, at a time when – as he himself put it – society “appears to be...
In the 4-0 win against Bulgaria, England’s forwards proved too hot to handle and again underlined their potential as the team breezes through Euro 2020 qualifyingIt wasn’t thrilling. It wasn’t much of a spectacle. There must be broader concerns about the diminution of the Euro qualifiers as a spectacle since the expansions of the finals. Not that football has ever shown much inclination to worry about such matters, but there probably should be qualms as well about how many central and eastern European sides seem simultaneously to have suffered such a decline. But for England the lack of drama in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Bulgaria is itself an indication of how positive the present situation is for them. Related: Harry...
Gareth Southgate’s faith in the forward was rewarded by a mature performance against Bulgaria that was all about helping his teammatesWhen Harry Kane scores seven goals in training at St George’s Park, Marcus Rashford imagines scoring eight. The reality against Bulgaria was somewhat different and the imagination is likely to remain where the Manchester United forward out-scores the England captain given their respective roles in Gareth Southgate’s side. Kane’s hat-trick, however, did not disguise the reality of how important Rashford is to England. He was goalless, frustrated but crucial to breaking Bulgaria and maintaining Southgate’s stroll towards Euro 2020.Stationed on the left against a five-man defence and without opportunity to even argue over penalty-taking duties for his country, unlike for...