A Century of Black & Asian Footballers

A series of drawings, paintings and prints tracing the history of black professional footballers in Britain from 1870 - 2006.

Black Looks: Introduction

Whilst playing amateur football in Coventry (1997), I decided to start an anti-racist football project in response to a series of

racist incidents involving my Black and Asian team ­mates. I could see no reason to stand back whilst my friends were being

physically and verbally abused. Using my skills as a practising artist, my initial aim was to create a series of portraits depicting

a ‘team’ of key black footballers, who would serve as role models for a young audience. This initial concept has grown into an

ambitious ‘Hall of Fame’ in celebration of the ethnic footballer, inspired by the rediscovery of over a century of Black and

Asian footballers in Britain (1870-2006).

Black Looks Exhibition

The portraits of players are produced in a number of traditional and contemporary styles using a wide range of media including;

drawing, painting, printing, photography and mixed media techniques. To compliment the artwork, text and information panels

have been developed, along with player biographies.

Black looks has been highly acclaimed and been displayed in a number of prestigious solo exhibitions throughout the country

(also at The European Parliament in Brussels) The mix of football and art has proven to be a successful combination, attracting

a large, diverse audience. See the Exhibitions section on the site for more examples.)

Recent exhibition at The Atrium Gallery in Uxbridge, West London October 2005 (Black Culture Month)

Black Looks: New portable exhibition

Foothold (UK) Ltd has developed a portable version of the Black looks exhibition for specific use in schools and community venues.
See separate Foothold, Community Arts section on the website.

Portable Exhibition in action 2005

Miniprints: £28-£35

Large Digital Prints: £225-£350

Etchings, drypoints, monoprints, gum arabic transfer, linocuts, screenprints: £100- £275

Drawings: £400 upwards

Paintings /Neon : POA

Sol Campbell

"Easter Island Sol"

Ian Wright

"Martyr"

Justin Fashanu

"Ups and Downs"

For details contact Colin Yates at colin66@btinternet.com

The exhibition is also available for hire.

Acknowledgements to the author and football historian Phil Vasili whose books include ‘The First Black Footballer - Arthur Wharton’ [Frank Cass] and ‘Colouring Over the White Line’ (Mainstream).

Edition of 35 screenprints printed on fine art paper. Size approximately 48 x 78cm.

1 Edwin ‘Eddie’ ‘Darkie’ Cother

A versatile footballer whose brief football career (1898 - 1899)

was ruined by petty criminal convictions. He spent his last days in a Watford workhouse and lies in a paupers grave. He died in 1951. Both Cother brothers played for Watford FC. Their father was born in India the first Anglo-Indian footballers in the league.

2 Giles Heron

Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1922, Heron played at centre forward for the Jamaican national team as well as playing for the American club side Detroit Corinthians. On a North American tour he was spotted by a Celtic scout and later signed for the Glasgow club in 1951. He scored on his debut a 2 - 1 win against Morton and quickly became known as the ‘Black Flash’. In May 1952 he was released by Celtic and signed for Third Lanark. Heron also played for Kidderminster Harriers before returning to play for his original club. With similarities to Arthur Wharton he excelled at many sports including boxing, cricket and ice-hockey.

Father of highly regarded jazz musician and poet Gil Scott Heron whose lyrics and music inspired the majority of cutting edge American Black musicians in the late 70’s and 80’s.

3 Tessilli ‘Thunder’ Balogun

At 6’ 2’’ he came to notice on the Nigerian Football Association tour of England in 1949. He returned to play football for Peterborough United FC where he was taken to heart by ‘Posh’ supporters. He also insisted on taking a job alongside the football which he could utilise on his return back home. He played only one season before his transfer to QPR. He returned to Nigeria in 1958-59 to be employed as a football coach. He died in his sleep aged only 42. Remembered as a tall, athletic, bowlegged striker with a prolific shot.

4 Salim Bachi Khan

Abdul Salim or to give him his proper name Mohammed Hashean, joined Celtic in the mid 1930’s. Although he never made a first team appearance Salim, who was born in Calcutta, made a number of reserve team appearances for the Parkhead Club. Noted for his hard shot, he attracted attention by not wearing the regulation heavy football boots. Instead he preferred to merely tightly bandage his feet as was his local custom.

5 Hong y Frank Soo

Frank Soo became the first player of Chinese extraction to play in the Football League. Signing for Stoke in 1933 Soo would probably have become a full international for England had the War not intervened. As it was he had to be content with nine wartime and victory caps remaining a forgotten international.

He was a contemporary of Matthews, Franklin, Finney, Swift, Lawton and Mercer. From Stoke Soo joined his former boss Tom Mather at Leicester City for a fee of £4,600 where his abilities impressed local fans. RAF duties and representative honours cut short his availability, he followed Tom Mather out of the club transferred to Luton Town for a fee of £3,000.

A successful coach and manager, Soo coached Padova in Italy and also worked in Scandinavia for thirty years before returning to manage Scunthorpe United.

6 Roy Brown 1923-89

Roy Brown, of Anglo-Nigerian descent, played in the 1950’s amongst notable contemporaries such as Stanley Matthews and Neil Franklin. He played for Stoke City, Watford and Chelmsford City. Noted for his speed and heading ability he could also play in a variety of positions. His brother, Dougie Brown, became Lord Mayor of Stoke.

7 Lindy Delapenha 1927

Played initially for Portsmouth in 1948 but couldn't establish himself on a regular basis as this was a championship winning side. He transferred to Middlesborough in 1950 where he achieved great success, scoring 96 goals in 300 games. He played alongside Will Amnion and was top scoria from 1952-56. Brian Cough mentions him in his diaries. After which he played for Mansfield town in 1958 and retired in 1960. He returned to Jamaica where he is employed as a sports anchorman [Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation] reporting at the world cup with ‘The Reggae Boyz’.

8 Tommy Bull Best should have received a full Welsh cap following in the footsteps of Eddie Parris in 1931. He was at his peak in the late 1940’s a stocky, aggressive inside forward but unable to dislodge Trevor Ford from the national team. He made his debut for Chester City at the age of 27. His ability was acknowledged and before long he was transferred to Cardiff City where he enjoyed an excellent relationship with the Cardiff City fans. After a serious knee injury sustained at Ninian Park, he eventually played for a series of semi-professional teams in the Midlands. Still alive and well and in the best of health.

9 Walter Tull 1898-1918

Walter Tull achieved success despite the poorest of backgrounds - he was one of six children who were orphaned when both their mother and father died. He was the world's first black professional outfield footballer, playing as a ‘striker’ for Spurs in 1908 and Northampton Town in 1909. He was also the first black army officer, who was killed in No Man's Land fighting at the second battle of the Somme.

He was dropped after a match at Bristol City after receiving severe racial abuse. ‘The Football Star’ reported at the time to “language lower than Billingsgate”. In 1914 he was on the point of signing for Glasgow Rangers before the outbreak of War. By 1916 he was made a Sergeant, he also underwent cadet training in Scotland - technically impossible - as Negroes were exempt from command but had obviously been recommended by other officers.

Sir Herman Ouseley Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality remarks: “The current recognition of Walter Tulle's contribution to football and to the services is terribly important because it makes visible a part of British history that has been denied.”

Northampton Town have opened a Memorial Garden in his honour.

10 Jack Leslie

A prolific striker playing for Plymouth Argyle in the 1920’s.

Jack Leslie had been informed by his manager Bob Jack that he had been selected to play for England. He later received communication cancelling his call up to the England team stating that they didn't realise he was ‘a man of colour’. Jack Leslie later remarked to Brian Woolnough: “They must have forgotten I was a coloured boy.”

He later worked at West Ham Utd in the Upton Park bootroom.

11 Steve ‘Kalamazoo’ Mokone

Born in South Africa 1932. Mokone represented South Africa at the youthful age of sixteen. He was encouraged by the Wolves and England Captain Billy Wright to try his luck in England. He became South Africa's first Black Professional footballer making his debut for Coventry City in 1956 at the age of eighteen. Disillusioned by his treatment and style of football at the club he played for only one season in Coventry after which he achieved superstar status playing for the Dutch side Heracles and later Torino in Italy.

Mokone studied in America gaining a doctorate in psychology and International Politics he was also imprisoned for [8-12 years] for in his view a fabricated offence. [See his autobiography; Kalamazoo; life and Times of a Soccer Player.]

He is at present a Minister for South African Tourism based in New York. He also established the Kalamazoo South Africa Foundation for education through Sport. There is a film of his life in prospect. [Sigma Productions].

12 John William Cother or Jack ‘Darkie’

The elder and more successful Cother brother. He made 140 appearance for Watford scoring three goals. He played in the early part of the Century (1898 - 1905).

He was described as a ‘beefy’ full-back. After his football career he was employed by Watford Council and later worked as a programme seller and assistant on match days at the club. He died in 1946 aged 73 .

13 Arthur Wharton

The World's first Black Professional Footballer.

He was born in Ghana and came to England to train as a Methodist preacher. Once he started to play sport it became obvious he was an enormously gifted athlete. Apart from his ability as a goalkeeper, he was also a professional cricketer playing well into his forties, a record breaking cyclist and noted boxer. Wharton held the World record for the 100 yards sprint winning the three A’s race in 1886, in exactly ten seconds.

Wharton played in goal for Darlington, Preston [appearing in an FA cup semi-final], Rotherham and Sheffield United. He was an eccentric goalkeeper, often seen hanging from the crossbar catching the ball with his feet. Another favourite trick was to lie on the goal line before sprinting out to foil the oncoming striker.

He died penniless after working at a Yorkshire main colliery. His burial plot had no headstone until ‘Football Unites Racism Divides’ and the ‘PFA’ raised the money.