A mural has appeared in Darlington depicting the 'OneLove' symbol that the English football team was banned from wearing at the World Cup in Qatar on the day they play their final group game, against Wales.
The Arthur Wharton Foundation on Widdowfield Street in Darlington is a charity set up to celebrate the life and career of the world's first professional black footballer, who started his amateur career in the town.
It has a long history of commissioning street art on its walls to celebrate diversity and football, and charity founder Shaun Campbell wanted to take the opportunity to make what he said was a "simple statement" on behalf of the English and Welsh teams in Qatar who have been stopped from doing so.
Football's governing body Fifa outlawed teams from wearing the 'OneLove' armband at the World Cup in Qatar after the England team, along with those from Wales, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and Belgium, planned for their captains to wear them as a statement that football is for everyone.
Although the 'OneLove' logo and campaign doesn't explicitly mention LGBTQ+ rights, the rainbow colours on the symbol have led some to say that wearing the armband at the World Cup in Qatar is making a statement about the country's stance on gay rights.
"All football fans have one thing in common," says Campbell, "a love of football."
In response to Fifa's decision to sanction the teams who had planned to wear the armband at the World Cup, Shaun doesn't hide his disappointment: "It was poor on behalf of Fifa to come out with the decision that they couldn't be worn.
"It's a very positive message, and it's important for us to be doing this for the teams who haven't been able to wear the armbands. We believe in inclusivity."
The bold impact of the mural comes from its simplicity. Bishop Auckland artist Dan Walls has worked with the Arthur Wharton Foundation in the past on their iconic wall art, and came back at short notice after Shaun had the idea.
"People always ask if I changed my name!", laughs Walls.
"I like to do community work, and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with Shaun again."
Critics of the scuppered World Cup protest have argued that sport and politics shouldn't mix, whereas Campbell disagrees.
"It's impossible to separate sport and politics," he says. He also believes that the power of sport to bring people together is inherently political. "The biggest army in the world is football fans. There's the opportunity for football fans around the world to work collectively to embrace equality and diversity."
The opportunity for taking a stand and protesting in sport to affect change is something Shaun refers to as a "milestone event", and he laments the missed opportunity to do so in Qatar.
He compares it to the events which followed Bulgarian football fans racially abusing English players in 2019. When Uefa only fined the Bulgarian FA £65,000 - a punishment seen as too lenient by many - Shaun says that this was an opportunity for the English FA to stand up and make their voices heard.
"The FA has a duty of care not only to the players who are abused, but to their families, and to any young people watching.
"Racism and abuse is cyclical, and this was an opportunity to put a stick in the spokes of that wheel."
Despite this, Campbell remains relentlessly positive, his enthusiasm is contagious.
"Football has the power to unite," he says. "Either football is for everyone, or it's for no one."
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