Why ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign is so important to United star Phillips

Leeds United’s holding midfielder has been active on social media since the alleged murder of black American George Floyd by a white policeman, which has prompted large-scale protests on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Football is the biggest sport in the world,” points out Phillips, who is looking forward to returning to the field next week. “As a professional footballer, not just as black professional footballers but as any race or any religion, it’s massive to try and get this across for people not to treat us as if we’re different people.

“I’ve been using this phrase Black Lives Matter quite a lot. I’m not saying all lives don’t matter, I’m just saying right now black people need support and they need help because of the racism going on all around the world.”

Leeds-born Phillips stressed that even in 21st Century Britain, racism remains a significant problem.

“I think I’m quite lucky because not many people know that I’m black,” he said. “I’ve got friends and family, sometimes they can’t even walk down the street without being given a dirty look. I’ve got friends who can’t even sit out in their front garden because they’ve got neighbours who shout towards them and treat them with no respect whatsoever.”

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