Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

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  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen

Man United lose R4bn kit sponsorship with e-commerce company over protests

 

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Manchester United fans protest against their owners before the Manchester United versus Liverpool Premier League match on Sunday. PHOTO: reuters
Manchester United fans protest against their owners before the Manchester United versus Liverpool Premier League match on Sunday. PHOTO: reuters

Manchester United's US owners are continuing to see fallout from a botched plan for a new European Super League, losing a kit sponsorship deal valued at 200 million pounds (almost R4bn), according to the Observer newspaper.

Manchester-based THG had been due to advertise its Myprotein brand on players’ kits, under a contract slated to start in July, the paper wrote on Sunday.

The online retailer scrapped the plan on Friday over concerns it may lead to a boycott of its products by local fans, the Observer reported. Earlier this month, supporters broke into Old Trafford stadium, protesting at a failed attempt by club owners, the Glazer family, to form a breakaway league for Europe’s elite teams.

The plan to form the new league with Europe’s richest clubs collapsed just days after it was announced, as teams pulled out following opposition from fans, politicians and even players. Supporters have also begun targeting sponsors. One online fan group launched a campaign against the club’s biggest partners, including Adidas, TAG Heuer and Cadbury.

THG was concerned it could also face protests if the Myprotein label appeared on players’ kits, the Observer said.

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