The name Jack Leslie may not ring a bell, but he was a great soccer man and despite dying in 1988, there’s a campaign for a statue to be erected in his honor.
On the strength of his skill and love for goals, the man born to an English woman and a Jamaican father was picked to play for England in 1925 but he would never earn his first cap and become England’s first black footballer.
The National Football Museum states that Leslie’s call-up was later rescinded and according to the soccer star himself, it was simply because he was Black.
“They (the selection committee) must have forgotten I was a colored boy. There was a bit of an uproar in the papers. Folks in the town (Plymouth) were very upset. No one ever told me official like but that had to be the reason; me mum was English but me daddy was black as the ‘Ace of Spades.’ There wasn’t any other reason for taking my cap away,” Lesly stated, according to CNN.
As a striker, Leslie scored 137 goals in 401 appearances for English club Plymouth Argyle, which has just earned promotion to the third tier of English football, between 1924 and 1931.
And now for his contribution to Argyle and English football, the campaign seeks for his statue to be erected outside Home Park, Plymouth Argyle’s home stadium. The campaign hopes to raise $124,000 for the project of which $31,000 has been raised thus far.
Of the discrimination Leslie suffered, former England international Gary Lineker described it as extraordinary. The campaign enjoys the support of the English Football Association, as well as, Luke Pollard, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport.
“Jack Leslie should have been the first black player to appear in an England shirt but was dropped once selected because of the colour of his skin,” Pollard wrote on Twitter. “I’m backing the campaign for a statue in #plymouth to remember one of @Only1Argyle’s greatest players,” he added.
Already, former West Brom players Brendon Batson, Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis have their statues in the UK.
If the fundraising target is exceeded an educational element will be added to the campaign.
Alvin Gauthier, a Grand Prairie USPS postman, recently went above and beyond to brighten a…
Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed is the first female commander of the air force and…
Benjamin E. Mays High School brought together its 272 senior class members for a meeting…
Afrika Owes' emotional response to learning that she had passed the bar exam on her…
A 49-year-old New York attorney was on April 26 sentenced to 10 years in federal…
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday, pop legend Cher opened up…
Authorities in Florida said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 14-year-old…
The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…
Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…
Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…
Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…
A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…
Ghana’s Asante king Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has unveiled the long-lost treasure of the kingdom…
Deion Sanders is a retired American professional football and baseball player who currently coaches at…
Tiger Woods is set to receive $100 million from PGA Tour Enterprises for his loyalty,…