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Football London

Sport

Sam Hill

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, Chelsea's Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford in Football Black List 2022

Marcus Rashford Raheem Sterling Bukayo Saka Arsenal Chelsea Football Jobi McAnuff Les Ferdinand EPL Mikel Arteta

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka and Chelsea summer signing Raheem Sterling have both been recognised on the Football Black List. The Football Black List is an initiative to highlight the most influential black figures in the game.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford joins Saka and Sterling on the list, which also features Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira and Burnley manager Vincent Kompany. Pundit and ex-England player Lianne Sanderson is also on this year's list.

The Football Black List was first published back in 2008 and looks to highlight black industry professionals who are positive influencers. The annual Football Black List recognises the efforts of black figures working in various areas of the sport.

Saka has used his platform as one of Arsenal's star players to be a positive force despite still only being 21 years old, urging social media platforms to prevent racial or hate-filled abusive messages being posted. The Gunners forward was subjected to racial abuse, along with Rashford and Jadon Sancho after the Euro 2020 final but vowed to not let negativity bring him down and instead fight the abuse in an effort to promote change.

Rashford forced the UK Government into a U-turn regarding free school meals for children after setting up a petition for the cause which more than a million people signed, improving the lives of nearly 1.7million children. Sterling launched his own social media campaign as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, enlisting players including Kevin De Bruyne and Lucy Bronze, calling for change in government and sporting organisations.

All three players continue to push for positive change in society and sport, and now have rightfully been recognised in the Football Black List. Leon Mann, co-founder of the Football Black List, said: "We are delighted to be sharing another incredible and inspirational Football Black List.

"Black excellence shines so brightly in the game and this list underlines that. I am particularly proud to see the list now feature board members, and managers at the top of the game but clearly we still have a long way to go to see better representation in football.

"However, we are highlighting those leading the way. We are proud of these individuals and the impact they are making."

There is also a Ugo Ehiogu 'ones to watch' category, which identifies talented, young people in the industry under 30. The names in the eight categories are decided by a panel of experts with representatives from the Premier League, Professional Footballers' Association, League Managers' Association, EFL and anti-racism group Kick It Out.

Deji Davies, Les Ferdinand and Jobi McAnuff are also on the 2022 list. Davies is a non-executive director at Brentford and the only black board member at a Premier League club, Ferdinand is the only black director of football in the game, while McAnuff is a Football Association (FA) board member.

Overall the Football Black List is divided into eight categories: Administration, coaching and management, commercial, community, players, LGBTQ+, media and practitioners. The full Football Black List 2022 is below:

Players: