London, Jan 7: The teenage blood being increasingly shed on the streets of London made Arsenal realise it had to use its platform as a Premier League club to help curb the scourge of youth violence.
As 2021 drew to a close last week, the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy saw London mourn a record 30th teenage homicide in a year just as Arsenal was already preparing to roll out its “No More Red” campaign.
The north London club’s players will wear unique all-white Adidas jerseys — drained of the club’s traditional red colours — for Sunday’s FA Cup match against Nottingham Forest.
“The white shirt is a symbol of that stand against knife crime,” said Jack Ironside, who has worked on Arsenal’s schemes in London communities for 15 years.
“It’s devastating for individuals, it’s devastating for families and devastating for the communities that they live in. That trauma is lived by their friends and their families that live on. But what we’ve got an opportunity to do here is raise awareness and look at solutions — not answers. We don’t have the answer but positive contributions”
The one-off kits will not be sold anywhere. Only those worn by the starting 10 outfield players in Sunday’s match will be released as gifts to community organisations working to tackle the causes of youth violence which mostly involves knife crimes. (AP)
