By Saira Afzal
On 22 October, the LSESU kicked off its Show Racism The Red Card football tournament to raise awareness for the anti-racism charity of the same name. Matches lasted 4-5 minutes, played over an hour. The tournament was run in a round-robin style, with five teams consisting of five players each, competing in the event. Players were encouraged to wear red laces in support of Show Racism The Red Card (SRtRC), which harnesses the influence of football players to fight against racism in the UK. SRtRC runs educational workshops for young people across the UK, providing educational sessions for approximately 50,000 people per year.
The tournament between LSE students was competitive but friendly, as everyone gathered to play for a good cause. It was delightful to see so many players show up and support each other despite forming their teams on the day. Everyone was in good spirits, egging each other on when matches were being played.
The first match between ‘Cemsational’ and ‘Duncan Against Racism’ ended in 0-0.
The second match between ‘Kangaroos and Team Four’ ended in a 0-1 victory for ‘Team Four’. ‘Kangaroos’ were fiercely offensive, attempting more shots than ‘Team Four’. Kangaroos also had a strong goalkeeper who blocked 3 attempts in just 3 minutes. However, ‘Team Four’ snatched victory with a last-second goal, just before the Klaxon fired.
The third match, between ‘EU’ and ‘Cemsational’, was fought aggressively, with a 2-2 tie. The first two goals by Cemsational were scored in the first 2 minutes, redeeming themselves after failing to score in their first match. EU held their ground, however, scoring 2 goals with the very last goal being scored with 20 seconds to spare.
The fourth match saw ‘Duncan Against Racism’ and ‘Kangaroos’ battling it out, with the Kangaroos goalkeeper again showing his superb defending skills blocking 3 attempts from ‘Duncan Against Racism’. ‘Duncan Against Racism’ showed valiant effort with their offensive playstyle but missed the mark by hitting the goalpost twice. Both teams tied 0-0.
‘Team Four’ and ‘EU’ went head-to-head in match five, with ‘EU’ scoring the first goal of the match easily. ‘Team Four’ gained ground however by scoring with 40 seconds to spare, bringing the teams to a tie with one goal a piece. ‘EU’’s goalkeeper proved to be another strong defender, blocking 3 attempts from ‘Team Four’!
‘Kangaroos’ and ‘Cemsational’ went ahead with the sixth match, ending in a 1-0 to the latter. Kangaroos’ one goal took them to victory against ‘Cemsational’ in the sixth match.
The seventh match, between ‘Duncan Against Racism’ and ‘Team Four’, was fought with intensity despite ending 0-0. ‘Team Four’ had two strong attempts but unfortunately, both attempts hit the post. Another two attempts by ‘Team Four’ were firmly blocked by ‘Duncan Against Racism’’s goalkeeper.
The last match, between ‘EU’ and ‘Kangaroos’, secured another 0-1 victory for ‘Kangaroos’.
As of 22 October, the league table had ‘Kangaroos’ leading with 7 points, ‘Team Four’ in second place with 5 points, and ‘Duncan Against Racism’ in third place with 3 points. ‘EU’ and ‘Cemsational’ tied for last place with 2 points each.
The tournament was a great success and a brilliant way to celebrate Black History Month, with players encouraged to donate to the charity at the end of the match. It was also successful in bringing more awareness to SRtRC. The education-focused charity aims to challenge racist stereotypes and negative attitudes in society. By donating to SRtRC, you can help educate young people about racism and provide specialist training to teachers, so that they are well-equipped to deal with racial abuse in schools. SRtRC estimates that 3 in 4 teachers deal with racism in their schools every year without proper training. This tournament was just one of many fundraising events hosted by schools and universities to aid SRtRC in its mission to break down barriers between communities and challenge racist attitudes.
