The Voice Newspaper

Usain Bolt and Leon
 by Leon Mann

Beauty Of The BOLT!

Usain Bolt recently confirmed he will retire after the Rio Olympics in 2016 and I ain’t gonna lie my heart sank a little.

The news hardly came as a shock but the realization that one of the true legends of sport will soon no longer do his thing suddenly hit home.

I never saw Pele play football, Muhammad Ali in the ring or Michael Jordan dominate the basketball court – but I have seen Usain Bolt destroy the 100m and 200m when it mattered most.

I was there to see him break records at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, World Championships in Berlin a year later and then defend his titles at the London games in 2012. And I’ve got to know him along the way too.

As one of the few journalists to spend time a good amount of time with the global superstar – both on and off the track – while making two films about him for the BBC (‘The Fastest Man Who Has Ever Lived’ and ‘Can Anyone Beat Bolt?’) I’ve got to see the real Usain at fairly close quarters.

Given the – now ritual – pre race fooling around and elaborate victory celebrations you could easily assume the fastest man in the world is loud, cocky and possibly a bit arrogant. But trust me, that is very far from the truth.

The guy you see at that point is selling the brand. People like winners. People also tend to like folk who smile a lot, dance and appear to be enjoying a good time. This isn’t to suggest it is totally staged though. Bolt definitely likes to live it up! I’ve seen him on the dance floor – it’s a home from home for him. But delving a little deeper, through my extensive interviews and also just observing the big guy with his friends and family, I have found a very humble country boy from Jamaica.

Given his continued dominance on the track, maybe we should all be a bit bored with him by now. I will hold my hands up and say I wasn’t particularly buzzing about the prospect of Bolt versus the clock at the World Championships in Moscow this summer. However, yet again, I was up on my feet and totally captivated by his performances.

The guy is just ridiculously infectious. So I have decided that I’m going to enjoy his next, and final, three years. Sportspeople like him don’t come along very often.

– This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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 by Leon Mann

The Highs And Lows Of Transfer Deadline Day

I’ve worked on a fair few transfer deadline days and the buzz in the newsroom is something else.

The very premise of the day is just perfect for us journalists. It allows us to flex our muscles by breaking news first, showing the rest of the industry just how good our contacts are and really make a name for ourselves.

I’ve broken a few transfer stories and can tell you it is pretty awesome. Especially when you feel like you’re swimming against the tide and the club is denying your information is on point.

However, there is a humungous down side. Getting it wrong – and I’ve been there. A shoddy look to say the least.

My one moment of shame came a couple of seasons back when the agent of a player told me, that despite the rumours, his client would definitely not be moving. I took him on his word. He was a great contact who had come up trumps before. But moments after I had smugly told the world this news, the competing broadcaster had footage of the said player entering negotiations with a club.

This is where I saw the worst of transfer deadline day. I couldn’t look my colleagues in the eye. I genuinely felt that I had let my team down. I had.

I later found out that what happened was the player had left the agent I was speaking with that day – as he was unable to get him a move. He found another agent, who got the deal did! My contact had lied through his teeth to save telling me a difficult truth.

So I can tell you from experience that when you see those journalists breaking news, they will be seriously sweating on those deals going through. You can be made or broken in 24 hours of unpredictable transfer madness. Only the strong survive…

 

HOPE POWELL WORKED MIRACLES

Following her sacking as the England women’s boss, Hope Powell has taken a fair bit of stick.

To be a black person in football is tough. To be a black woman in football is tougher than tough. So to stick around for 15 years and develop women’s football like Hope did is miraculous.

– This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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Jermain Defoe School Library
 by Leon Mann

Footballers Deserve Credit For Giving Back

Bad news sells. And if you believe what you read in the tabloids, you’re unlikely to have much love for our Premier League football stars.

So the beef I’d like to carve up in this column is about how rare it is to see positive coverage of the things players get up to away from the pitch.

Now this isn’t to say footballers are hard done by, but more balanced coverage of these guys would give us a greater understanding of them, as people, and more importantly, help to inspire the next generation to do positive things with their lives.

Whether you like it or not, footballers are today’s role models. Many young people look up to them.

This summer I was fortunate enough to get to know Jermain Defoe a lot better. I was filming with him and his family in St Lucia for an ITV Sport Life Story that will be aired later this year.

The guy is doing some great things on the island. Helping vulnerable young people who desperately need support. He’s doing this through a foundation he has recently launched, having been moved by the aftermath of the devastating hurricane Thomas in 2010.

I got to know a different Jermain to that often portrayed in the press and I’m really excited about sharing this with you in the ITV documentary.

While I was on the island I met up with Reading’s Jason Roberts. He was in town to attend an important conference on developing sport in the Caribbean.

His Jason Roberts Foundation has been working wonders in Grenada and also here in the UK for a whole heap of time. Surely there are interesting and important stories here that should be given greater prominence?

Others who have been busy giving back this summer include Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge in Jamaica, Chelsea’s Michael Essien in Ghana, Spurs’ Emmanuel Adebayor in Togo and Benoit Assou Ekotto in Cameroon.

As Jermain Defoe opened a library in a Primary School in St Lucia I immediately thought, ‘Can I help a school in Jamaica?’.

So I’ve taken inspiration from the guys, often dubbed rich spoilt brats, and hope this column may encourage others to do so too. Not forgetting the decision makers at national newspapers and broadcasters…

– This column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper (www.voice-online.co.uk)

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 by Leon Mann

Football’s Black List – A Catalyst For Conversation

Football’s Black List has landed and judging by the comments on my twitter timeline, it has made an impact.

I thought it best to use my column to address some of the issues raised, and where better to start than with The Daily Mirror’s story.

On the face of it the paper asked a good question. How could the panel leave out Ashley Cole, given he had become the first black player to win 100 caps for England? The answer is pretty simple. The initiative is about what members of our community are doing OFF the pitch.

I hope this answers the Chelsea fans that suspected I was an Arsenal supporter and had an anti-Ashley agenda!

On a serious note, having spent time with the England left back in New York a couple of seasons ago, I can assure anyone reading this that there is no agenda here. Google ‘Ashley + Cole + Leon + Mann’ if you don’t believe me. And who knows? If the panel agree, it may well be fitting to celebrate his remarkable achievement ON the pitch at the awards evening later in the year.

While the majority of responses to the list were very positive, a large number of people asked if it would it be racist to have a White List? Suggesting the Black List is a negative thing because they feel it encourages segregation.

To answer this best, here is my three-step rationale for any list that hopes to help football become more diverse.

1) Is the group or community you wish to celebrate under represented in the areas you are highlighting? If yes, proceed.

2) Would the list, celebrating role models from that group or community, help to encourage others to strive for jobs, in an attempt to address under representation? If yes, proceed.

3) Would an awards evening only celebrate the contributions of one group or community, to the success of the under represented group? If no, (the Black List has awarded non-African Caribbean people regularly) I strongly believe you have an initiative that can help to make a difference.

– The Leon Mann column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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 by Leon Mann

The Toughest Black List Ever!

Football’s Black List is soon to be exclusively published in The Voice of Sport’s pages and boy do we need it!

It has been a turbulent 18 months or so for the black community in football, arguably the worst since bananas were routinely thrown at our players.

The blows just kept coming – thick and fast – from incidents of racist abuse on the pitch, to personal issues between former players being leaked to cause damage and division.

But while some have taken their opportunity to stick the boot in during this period, our community has actually become stronger. New voices have emerged to speak out about racism in football and self-organisation across all levels of the sport has stepped up.

That is why this year’s Black List isn’t just about the most recognised or powerful black people in football, but also those who the community feels it should pay tribute to for how they represented them in troubled times.

The list will be smaller too. Five names will be selected for the following categories – Administration, Community, Commercial, Players, Management and Coaching, and Media.

For greater transparency, the list of 30 will be compiled with the help of a panel of football experts.

As founders of the list, myself and Voice of Sport editor, Rodney Hinds will chair a group including Reading striker, Jason Roberts MBE, Chelsea and England Womens, Eniola Aluko, academic and community activist, Dr Colin King, diversity expert, Michelle Moore, Football Against Racism in Europe director, Piara Powar and football advisor, Francis Nkwain.

Trust me, this has been THE HARDEST list I have been involved in putting together.

When we first launched the Black List in 2008 it wrote itself in many ways. The candidates seemed fairly obvious. But now, so many leaders and talented individuals have risen up in their respective fields.

For further transparency – you can see there is a theme developing here – we have also taken the step of asking the public to decide who picks up the prizes when the 30 come together for the Black List Awards.

The list is very much there for the community, so we strongly believe it is only right that you chose who you would like to reward.

– The Leon Mann column first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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 by Leon Mann

The Black List 2013

SHOW ME a Black List everyone agrees with and I’ll show you a liar.

This statement pretty much sums up just how difficult it was for the panel to pull together the 30 names of our community’s most powerful, respected and influential people in football for the 2013 Black List.

Much of the discussion and debate was about how those with power had used their positions over the last 18 months. Had we heard from our leaders when our community needed them the most? How did they represent the community when they did use their influence? The feelings amongst the panel varied.
But after some searching debates we can now reveal who made the cut.

The list highlights those at all levels of the game, from people working at the heart of our communities to the administrators sitting at football’s top table and shaping the future of the sport.

As those who are familiar with the Black List will know, the initiative is not a tool to thank our footballers for what they have achieved on the field. Instead, it is to recognise contributions off the pitch, acknowledge the different experiences and struggles in finding power and influence in the game, and also encourage young people in our community to become involved in all areas of football.

While we proudly celebrate the Black List, we should never forget that it is about far more than 30 names. It is designed to inspire future generations and bring the community together to review where we are and how we get to a much better place.

– CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BLACK LIST 2013 – http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/football-black-list-2013

– This editorial comment first appeared in The Voice Newspaper

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