Stormzy, Man Utd and Adidas join forces to create Merky FC and tackle racial inequality in football

It is looking as if a storm is building in the football world as Stormzy has created a new initiative called Merky FC.

The 29-year-old grime star announced the new enterprise on 3 November in partnership with 11 brands including Adidas, Sky Sports and Manchester United.

Merky FC is a multi-year programme which focuses on enhancing diverse representation in the industry, by moving those who are underrepresented from the bench to the main squad.

The campaign has been launched as statistics reveal that only 6.7 per cent of senior roles off of the pitch are taken by people who identify as black or mixed heritage.

The numbers were found after Adidas teamed up with the Fare (Football Against Racism in Europe) to commission research into the industry.

The Blinded By Your Grace singer announced that the initiative would begin from January 2023, and would provide paid placements and job opportunities off-pitch to young black people, to improve racial inequality.

Stormzy told Sky Sports: “The statistics are shocking. I think it’s down to visibility a lot. Even growing up we didn’t see black managers, black people on our screens in the media.

“So I think when Ian Wright comes along, Thierry Henry comes along, we know we can kick a ball…but in terms of the roles and the other positions in the industry, we don’t see our representation, and representation is important.”

Stormzy continued to add that he hopes Merky FC would inspire change and which allows kids down the line to “have some ambition and a dream and a future.”

Alongside Adidas are 10 other companies determined to score the goal including Lad Bible, Fulham, KSS, Goal, W, Versus, Team and Stormzy’s own brand Merky.

The rapper, who is a massive fan of Manchester United, is hoping to keep the ball rolling after the Football Association’s second report on the Football Leadership Diversity Code was published.

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Merky FC comes as the report showed that English clubs who signed up in 2020, are failing to meet six out of eight pledged targets.

The FA’s chief executive Mark Bullingham commented: “While we saw clubs exceeding targets for senior coaches in the men’s game and coaches in the women’s game, there is still a huge amount of work to be done across the game.

“We understand that substantive change will take time, but a number of clubs have already made progress, and we expect to see more clubs follow that lead in years to come.”

Stormzy is encouraging more brands to join him and the other 11 companies in the fight for racial inequality.