Will Aston Villa wear black armbands to honour Benjamin Zephaniah? When is their next match?

British writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah has died only two months after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The club wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter that “Everyone at Aston Villa is deeply saddened by news of the passing of legendary writer and poet, Benjamin Zephaniah. Named as one of Britain’s top 50 post-war writers in 2008, Benjamin was a lifelong Aston Villa fan and had served as an ambassador for the @AVFCFoundation.”

In 2015, Benjamin was interviewed by Aston Villa on their YouTube Channel and explained how going to the club was ‘like going to church’ for him. “This is the place where I worship,” he explained. He then spoke about how he came to support the club because he was brought up nearby. “When I was a kid, my playmate was Ozzy Osbourne, and we used to play to the sound of Aston Villa.” My first job (if I call it a job) was minding the cars of Aston Villa fans. Sometimes we would mind the cars and come and have a look at the game and pop out again.”

Benjamin Zephaniah also explained on the Premier League website how he was captivated by the player Clyde Best. “One day we were watching Aston Villa play West Ham, and I was mesmerised by one player, Clyde Best. A black man. I had seen him on TV but seeing him play in front of me made me wonder-full , and I mean full of wonder. He was the only black footballer I had seen playing in England.” 

In 2015, Benjamin Zephaniah delivered his ode to the West Midlands derby in the FA Cup quarter-final between Aston Villa and West Brom. On that day, Aston Villa beat their neighbours and rivals 2-1. 

When is the next Aston Villa match?

Aston Villa are at home to Arsenal on Saturday 9 December 2023. It hadn't been confirmed at the time of writing, but it is a possibility that the Aston Villa players might wear black armbands in honour of Benjamin Zephaniah.