Premier League urged to 'shake up' Rainbow Laces campaign as homophobia problem made clear

Rainbow Laces returns to the Premier League this weekend, but Scotland's archetypal retired cheery subordinate Zander Murray is adamant a shake-up is needed aft 11 years of the campaign

Scotland's archetypal retired cheery footballer Zander Murray has urged the Premier League to springiness the Rainbow Laces run a shake-up.

Murray came retired successful 2022, earlier retiring successful the summertime aft spells astatine Motherwell, Bonnyrigg Rose and Gala Fairydean Rovers. The 33-year-old is present launching a bid of anti-homophobia workshops aimed astatine academy players alongside Jahmal Howlett-Mundle, who came retired arsenic bisexual successful 2021.

The caller inaugural comes arsenic the Premier League prepares to motorboat its Rainbow Laces campaign for the 11th twelvemonth this weekend. Top-flight bosses halved the backing handed to LGBT+ rights foundation Stonewall to tally the run past December.

And Murray believes that offers an accidental to springiness the run a stronger anti-homophobia message. The erstwhile striker believes that aft 11 years a reset is needed.

Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, Murray said: "From my experience, it served a intent successful the beginning, but 10 years successful it's not hitting well. From a batch of boys, we get pushback. Some are saying 'I'm not homophobic, but I don't privation to deterioration the laces'.

"I've openly said they request a caller approach. We've seen the Premier League halving the backing arsenic well. So I deliberation there's scope to make a stronger campaign, a much unneurotic campaign. Hopefully we tin latch onto that.

"I'm sick of however galore players are refusing to motion Pride related shirts. We request to code what we're doing and shingle it up. It volition ever happen. I'm besides acutely alert there's a immense mediate crushed of radical who aren't homophobic, not needfully allies, but they're listening.

"I deliberation we tin triumph these radical implicit and that's a immense proportionality of the colonisation that I privation to absorption on. Boys request to recognize wherefore these visibility campaigns are important. This isn't coming from nowhere, it's well-backed.

"I've been successful high-level academies, I'm speaking to apical coaches, I'm speaking to the SFA, we request a stronger anti-homophobia campaign. It's an country wherever to the time we die, we'll ever beryllium fighting. We'll ever beryllium reactive, but it's astir being proactive arsenic well."

Murray is hopeful the caller workshops helium is launching alongside Howlett-Mundle tin marque a affirmative impact. But helium is alert of the standard of the situation they are facing to triumph younger players backmost from anti-LGBT+ influencers.

"It tin beryllium bloody powerful. I've done 30 positive workshops present successful Scotland, seen however almighty that is. There's thing rather similar it happening down south. Me and Jamal got together, we're successful a precise unsocial presumption having played the crippled being out," helium added.

"Last period astatine a workshop, I said 'boys enactment your manus up, who regularly watches Andrew Tate?' Nearly each azygous lad [put up their hand]. So we're trying to alteration with the times. Putting up the Rainbow emblem and giving them a QR codification asking for their honorable opinion.

"Three-quarters are similar 'woke nonsense'. But this is good, these are the radical you privation to beryllium down and talk to. We privation to person an authentic conversation. I'm truthful passionate astir this store due to the fact that I deliberation it tin beryllium precise powerful.

"I'm speaking to them arsenic if I'm successful a shot changing room, which is antithetic to regular Zander. So they tin person that link similar 'f*** determination could beryllium a lad successful my changing room, struggling conscionable similar Zander'. That's wherever the powerfulness comes in."

Murray is adamant a antithetic attack is needed if nonrecreational players are to prosecute with the Rainbow Laces campaign. He is passionate successful his content that if a clearer stance is taken, players volition rapidly motion up to enactment it.

"For the men's game, maine and Jamal know, we've been successful dressing rooms for 20 years. We're trying to triumph them over. Rainbow Laces serves a purpose. But successful the men's elite, we request to beryllium much unsocial successful our approach," Murray said.

"Have the Pride flag, but I tin archer you archetypal manus it's a conflict twelvemonth connected twelvemonth to explain. They get talking astir homophobia, but however is this related, it's a changeless struggle. That's wherever I'm coming from.

"The anti-homophobia run indispensable beryllium stronger, truthful that players tin beryllium similar 'that makes sense, yes I'm getting progressive with that'. Show Racism The Red Card, it makes truthful overmuch sense, everyone's connected board. Rainbow Laces, it's a changeless struggle.

"I'm not against rainbows, I've [got] bloody rainbows successful my flat, I've got rainbow lanyards erstwhile I bash sessions, it's bloody important. Rainbows everyplace astatine the stadiums? Pull backmost a measurement I feel. Anti-homophobia should beryllium the message."

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