Football is a sacred sport in the United Kingdom, as evidenced by the excitement surrounding the resumption of the Premier League on Wednesday, after several months of stoppage due to the coronavirus crisis. So when a star of the most followed championship in the world goes up against the creed against the politics of his country, his voice carries. Manchester United star scorer Marcus Rashford, who addressed his country's deputies directly on his social media via an open letter, has proven this in recent days.
An Open Letter to all MPs in Parliament ... # maketheUturn
Please retweet and tag your local MPs pic.twitter.com/GXuUxFJdcv
"Let's set an example like Marcus Rashford"
When Boris Johnson announced the end of free meals for the most disadvantaged families, set up in England after the closure of schools during confinement, the player's reaction was quick: he simply asked his government to maintain them, so that more than 1.3 million children all benefit from them in the summer. "Without the kindness and generosity of the community, there would not be the Marcus Rashford you see today: a 22 year old black man who is fortunate to have a career in a sport he loves", he wrote in the preamble to his letter.
Result: the Prime Minister has pitifully backtracked unlocking an envelope of 135 million euros to maintain the system during the summer. Another English football star, David Beckham praised the initiative, commenting: "Brilliant and powerful. Let us set an example like Marcus Rashford" and propelling the young man as the new spokesperson for English youth.
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A first fundraising campaign launched in early April
If Marcus Rashford's message resonates, it's also because the Reds Devils striker, author of 64 goals in 201 games since 2015, knows what he's talking about. Coming from a difficult suburb of Manchester, he grew up with four brothers and sisters, raised by their only mother, originally from Saint Kitts and Nevis. To feed them, she used food banks. So that he would eat a real meal once a day, Marcus' friends sometimes invited him to dinner at their house.
Become a star of English football, the attacker has not forgotten his story. Already in early April, he launched a first fundraising campaign on his social networks to collect nearly 450,000 euros.
A mobilization that could continue
After questioning the deputies, Boris Johnson personally called Marcus Rashford and promised him in exchange for continuing a mobilization he considers necessary, while one child in six in England receives free meals. Their hero on the field could now become him outside.