New Delhi, Oct 16 — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was among the stars from all 20 English clubs to join the Premier League's latest "No room for racism campaign".
The new campaign, aimed at eradicating racism, has been launched ahead of two dedicated No Room For Racism match rounds between 17 and 25 October. The new campaign features players from the clubs delivering a strong message in a short film, which celebrates diversity.
In the video, players can be heard reading out a message against racism. "Greatness comes from everywhere. That's why the Premier League is so exciting. Our diversity is our strength in our clubs, our game, our community. We stand together.
"But racism tries to divide us. A comment, a message, a post it's not just words. It impacts us, our families, our communities. It damages our game. We won't accept it. And we know you won't either. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. There's no room for racism," the players read in a message.
The players will also be working towards No room for racism education resources, which are made available to over 19,000 primary schools in England and Wales and teach children about how powerful diversity is.
Van Dijk reflected on the campaign. "It means a lot to me to represent my community on and off the pitch.
"I'm proud of being part Surinamese, part Dutch, and it’s a good feeling to always represent what you stand for. I think it's important for young people to see role models who look like them, to see that they can achieve anything. It doesn't matter who you are, what you do or how you look," he said.
The No Room for racism was launched in 2019, and the league later established a No Room for racism action plan two years later, which had set out "a series of commitments and targets designed to combat discrimination, enhance pathways into football for under-represented groups, support communities through education, and embed equality across club operations."
Meanwhile, Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters stated that the new campaign aims to take a message against racism from the reach of the players. "During the latest No Room For Racism match rounds, we are using the reach of our players to send an important message: we are united in the fight against racism. We are also highlighting the incredible impact diversity has within our game and communities, something the League and clubs are committed to developing throughout the season.
"Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, but sadly we still see cases of players and others within football facing abhorrent abuse. Not only will we continue to support those who are subjected to this, we will work with clubs and authorities to try and bring offenders to justice and do everything we can to eradicate racism," Masters said.