Marcus Rashford: Premier League boss praises player's 'fantastic' school meals campaign
"It's a really important and heart-moving cause. I offer my congratulations to him," says the Premier League's CEO.
Tuesday 16 June 2020 17:34, UK
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has praised Marcus Rashford for the campaigning which forced a government U-turn on extending the free school meals scheme into the summer holidays.
He said: "I think it's fantastic. Congratulations to Marcus. His perseverance, the way he has gone about it, have obviously moved government.
"It's a really important and heart-moving cause. I offer my congratulations to him."
The vouchers - for £15 a week - will be made available to around 1.3 million children in England who are currently eligible for the scheme, and will last for six weeks.
Masters said some government criticism of footballers during the coronavirus crisis was unfair.
And he defended the right of players like Manchester United's Rashford and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling to use their platform to talk about societal issues.
Sterling lent his voice to the Black Lives Matter protesters.
Masters, speaking before the restart of the Premier League, said he supported their respective interventions.
He told Sky News: "I think it's a good thing that players are using their voices to make what I think are ethical and value judgements rather than political statements.
"They're supposed to be unifying messages and we support them and so do the clubs."
The Premier League returns after a three-month forced break on Wednesday evening when Aston Villa face Sheffield United at Villa Park in Birmingham.
Players from all clubs will have their names replaced by Black Lives Matter on their shirts for the first 12 games, as well as a logo for the NHS, to show gratitude for health workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Masters said: "The messages you're going to see coming through the Premier League matches, in relation to thanking the NHS and also the anti-discrimination messages are issues that all players feel.
"I have enjoyed getting closer to the players' perspective. We've had Zoom calls with club captains on all sorts of issues and we've learned a lot and listened."
There are currently only six black or non-white head coaches in the football league, of which one - Wolverhampton Wanderers' coach Nuno Espirito Santo - is in the Premier League.
Masters accepts that change is needed.
"Representation on the pitch is fantastic and I think it needs to be reflected throughout the workplace, whether that be coaching or in boardrooms. There's more to do in that area," he said.
On the possibility of introducing a Rooney Rule, whereby clubs must interview a BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) candidate for a vacant role, Masters said: "We haven't discussed that and we haven't got any plans to do so."