Arsenal address racism row after women's squad photo sparked controversy

22 October 2023 , 13:19

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Arsenal have been criticised for the lack of diversity in their women's squad (Image: Getty Images)

Arsenal insist the club continues to strive for 'greater diversity' after a photo of their women's squad sparked a race row.

Fans criticised the Gunners for not having a single player of colour in their women's team's squad photo for this season, with one describing the lack of diversity as "frightening" and "shocking". There have been calls for an "emergency meeting" to address the issue.

Arsenal are title contenders in the Women's Super League (WSL) and boast a squad full of internationals, including Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Manuela Zinsberger, Alessia Russo and Vivianne Miedema. Their manager is Swedish coach Jonas Eidevall.

In comparison, Arsenal have one of the most diverse squads in the Premier League. Men's boss Mikel Arteta has the likes of Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Eddie Nketiah, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny at his disposal.

Arsenal provided a statement to The Athletic about the lack of diversity in their women's team. "We acknowledge our current women's first-team squad does not reflect the diversity that exists across the club and the communities we represent," the club said.

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"Increasing participation among young women and girls from diverse backgrounds is a key priority for us at academy level, with specific measures in place to improve pathways and accessibility.

"Across all our teams, including our men’s and women’s academies, we’re proud of our players from diverse backgrounds who have contributed to our history, success and culture. It’s a priority for the club to continue to drive greater diversity and inclusion and create a sense of belonging for everyone connected to the club."

Arsenal's men's squad is much more diverse (Getty Images)

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Arsenal are known for being a club that champions diversity and inclusion. Many great black players have represented them in the past, such as Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, David Rocastle, Sol Campbell, Michael Thomas, Patrick Vieira and Nicolas Anelka.

In September 2002, Arsenal became the first team in Premier League history to include nine black players in a starting XI. Vieira, Henry, Campbell, Lauren, Ashley Cole, Kolo Toure, Gilberto Silva, Nwankwo Kanu and Sylvain Wiltord were all selected by Arsene Wenger.

Former England striker Eni Aluko wants to see more opportunities given to black female footballers. She told ITV earlier this year: "It's about making sure we're widening the pool of players for Sarina Wiegman to choose from and for the academies to choose from.

"The talent is there. The Football Association needs to sit down and look at whether they can build centres in certain areas. Just change our practises a little bit. With the professionalism of the game it's maybe excluded people a little bit."

Tom Blow