Tag: Marcus Rashford

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RASHFORD RECEIVES SPECIAL BBC SPORTS AWARD.

Marcus Rashford’s scintillating Sunday as a Manchester United player became even better in the evening as he collected an individual honour at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, scooping the 2020 Expert Panel Award.

Fresh from helping the Reds to beat Leeds United 6-2 in the Premier League, our no.10 travelled the short distance from Old Trafford to MediaCity in Salford, where he was welcomed on stage at the annual BBC event by former England striker Gary Lineker and his fellow presenter Gabby Logan.

“What a player, on and off the pitch,” said Lineker, before inviting Marcus to explain his motivation, for the vital work he has done to combat food poverty this year.

“It all started when I was growing up as a kid,” said the Reds forward.

“I feel like [in my career], if it was a 100 metres race, I started 50 metres behind everybody else. It was more difficult for me to do the basic things like get to training and eat the right food. It was a nightmare of a situation but, in the end, I got to where I needed to get to.

Once I got there, I’ve always had this thing that eats at me, saying ‘make sure you make a difference for the next generation.’ I think, as a country, we should always protect them as much as we can and give them the best chance in life at becoming whatever they want to become.

“For me, everything that I get for doing what I have done will sit in my mum’s house and be where she can see it every day because she’s the person who, in difficult circumstances, brought me up to become a person that has morals. My friends will tell you that I’ve not changed at all since they remember me as a kid.”

When asked by Logan whether he expected his passionate social media message about food poverty, posted in March this year, to have such an impact and affect government policy, Marcus modestly replied: “I didn’t expect it. To be honest, it was something that I tried a few years ago in Manchester. It was helping a lot of people, a lot of children, in Manchester but I wasn’t satisfied with the reach it was having.

”A few years later, I was speaking to my brothers and my mum – I was injured at the time – and I just said to them, ‘I’m going to have another go at it.’ Then we did but what has happened since then we didn’t expect.“

Congratulations, Marcus, on your latest award, from everyone at Manchester United. What a year @MarcusRashford has had.

He’s been recognised with a special award at tonight’s Sports Personality of the Year awards.

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MARCUS RASHFORD LAUNCHES BOOK CLUB TO HELP EVERY CHILD HAVE ESCAPISM.

Footballer Marcus Rashford is launching a book club so that all children can experience the escapism of reading.

The Manchester United star is teaming up with Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB) to promote reading and literacy among children from all socio-economic backgrounds.

Rashford said he wishes he had the chance to read more as a child but his family had to prioritise food over books when it came to budgeting.

MCB said there will be a particular focus on getting books into the hands of children from vulnerable and under-privileged backgrounds.

The first title of the partnership, YOU ARE A CHAMPION: Unlock Your Potential, Find Your Voice And Be The BEST You Can Be – an illustrated non-fiction title aimed at young people aged 11-16 – will be published in May 2021.

Each chapter will begin with a story from Rashford’s own life and will cover topics such as the value of education, positive mentality, understanding culture, and female role models.

It will be co-created with Carl Anka, a journalist for sports media group The Athletic, and Katie Warriner, a performance psychologist.

Two fiction titles for readers aged seven and up will follow later in 2021 and 2022.

Next year will also see the launch of the Marcus Rashford Book Club, a reader recommends programme publishing front list titles from MCB’s successful list.

Rashford said: “I only started reading at 17, and it completely changed my outlook and mentality.

“I just wish I was offered the opportunity to really engage with reading more as a child, but books were never a thing we could budget for as a family when we needed to put food on the table.

“There were times where the escapism of reading could have really helped me. I want this escapism for all children. Not just those that can afford it.

“We know there are over 380,000 children across the UK today that have never owned a book, children that are in vulnerable environments. That has to change.

“My books are, and always will be, for every child, even if I have to deliver them myself. We will reach them.”

Rashford said acceptance and acknowledgment are a key focus of the project, adding: “Let our children read that they are not alone and enable them to dream.

“Equip them for obstacles and adversities they might face.

“Allow them to relate to characters by making sure people of all race, religion and gender are depicted correctly and representative of modern society.

“No matter where you grow up, talent should be recognised and championed.

“Under the Marcus Rashford Book Club young writers, illustrators and creatives will be seen and they will be offered a platform to shine.”

Rashford, 23, has drawn widespread praise for highlighting the issue of child food poverty and his campaign resulted in the Government back-tracking to announce free meals would be provided to disadvantaged children over the Christmas holidays.

The England footballer was also recently awarded an MBE after forcing a Government U-turn on free school meal vouchers.

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MAN UTD 5-0 LEIPZIG: MARCUS RASHFORD INSPIRES RED DEVILS TO RESOUNDING VICTORY.

Marcus Rashford was again the star for Manchester United in the Champions League with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thumping of RB Leipzig on Wednesday as Barcelona put their off-field troubles to one side to win 2-0 away to a Juventus side deprived of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rashford’s late goal earned United a 2-1 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain last week and at Old Trafford the England striker came on as a second-half substitute and scored three times from the 74th minute on in what was a fine win against last season’s semi-finalists.

Paul Pogba released Mason Greenwood to open the scoring in the first half, before the youngster made way for Rashford after the break and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side ran away with the game to make it two wins from two in Group H.

Anthony Martial also netted from the penalty spot as United ruthlessly exposed the side who currently top the German Bundesliga and went clear at the top of the section.

We looked dangerous throughout and that we could score every time we went forward,” said Rashford. “It was a real team performance.”

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OZIL BACKS RASHFORD’S CHILDREN FREE MEAL, GIVES FREE MEAL TO UK SCHOOL KIDS.

Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil has shown his support for Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty by providing 1,400 free lunchtime meals for the rest of the week to schools in London.

Manchester United forward Rashford has campaigned for the UK government to provide food vouchers during school holidays to children who normally receive free meals during term time if their parents receive welfare support.

Ozil has joined up with Barnet Sunday Football League (BSFL), chef Stefan Peppert and German Chefs Catering in Knightsbridge to provide meals to 12 schools in Barnet and surrounding areas.

On Tuesday, the BSFL and schools posted pictures of the meals on Twitter, with Ozil’s logo featuring on the boxes.

“We are very grateful to Mesut Ozil and Stefan Peppert for getting involved with our initiative, and the volunteers on the project who have worked tirelessly throughout,” a BSFL representative revealed.

“We have raised over £3,000 so far, with 1,400 meals per day prepared and delivered to schools.”

The playmaker is out of favour with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and has been left out of the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads.

Ozil’s agent Dr. Erkut Sogut told reporters that Arteta is not telling the truth for claiming the player’s absence is a football decision and said the supporters deserve an honest explanation.

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BRITISH PRIME MINISTER REJECTS RASHFORD’S REQUEST TO EXTEND FREE MEALS TO HALF TERM AND CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

Poorer pupils will not receive free meals during school holidays, No 10 insists – putting Boris Johnson on a fresh collision course with footballer Marcus Rashford.

The Manchester United star has launched a fresh campaign to help hungry children, calling for vouchers for October’s half-term break and at Christmas.

In July, Mr Rashford forced the prime minister into a humiliating U-turn, which delivered the free meals throughout the long summer holidays.

But the prime minister’s spokesman insisted it would not be repeated – despite the spread of tougher restrictions across England, as coronavirus infections surge – insisting: “We are in a different position now.”

The England striker stepped up his campaign by launching a Commons petition, saying: “Whatever your feeling, opinion or judgement, food poverty is never the child’s fault.

In 2020, no child in the UK should be going to bed hungry, nor should they be sat in classrooms concerned about how their younger siblings are going to eat that day, or how they are going to access food come the holidays.”

Last month, the 22-year-old was awarded an MBE for his efforts in tackling child poverty – increasing his public status further.

The petition is also calling for free school meals to be extended to any household which receives benefits – to help a further 1.5million under-16s, during term-time.

But the spokesman said: “We took that decision to extend free school meals during the pandemic, when schools were partially closed during lockdown.

We are in a different position now. Schools are back open to all pupils and do not regularly provide food to pupils during term-time.

“We believe the best way to support families outside of term times is through universal credit, rather than schools subsidising meals.”

The Food Foundation charity has released data which suggests nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of eight to 17-year-olds reported they struggled to eat properly over the summer holidays.

That would mean 1.4 million children were in the same position, when extrapolated to reflect the size of the UK population.

Earlier, Louise Casey, a former homelessness adviser warned that people face “destitution” and may have to “prostitute themselves” without more Covid help.

Anna Taylor, executive director of Food Foundation, said: “School holidays are a financial pressure point which many families just can’t afford at the moment. Hunger does not take a holiday.

“The government needs to put in place a permanent solution to school holiday hunger and implement the recommendations in the National Food Strategy.

“While children have been spared the virus, they have not been spared its economic impacts and we must act to protect them.”

The survey, of more than 1,000 children, found 6 per cent were worried about going hungry during the October half-term and 11 per cent said either they, or their families, had visited a foodbank in the summer break.

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MARCUS RASHFORD LAUNCHES PETITION TO END CHILD HUNGER.

Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford has launched a petition to encourage the United Kingdom’s government to end child food poverty.

The petition asks the government to implement three points from the National Food Strategy including expanding free school meals, providing meals and activities during the holidays and expanding other schemes in place to prevent child hunger.

“Remember when I said I was going to need your help,” Rashford tweeted with a link to the petition. “For the millions who do not have the platform to be heard. Let’s stand as a ‘United’ Kingdom to #endchildfoodpoverty.”

In June Rashford convinced the UK government to reverse a decision to end a national voucher scheme to feed children from low-income families.

He wrote an open letter to politicians asking them to extend the free school meals programme and earned an eventual U-turn.

He has also raised over £20 million for food distribution charity FareShare during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 22-year-old, who relied on meal vouchers during his school days in Manchester, was praised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his “contribution to the debate around poverty.”

Rashford was awarded an MBE for his work on child food poverty.

“It’s a nice moment for me personally but I feel like I’m still at the beginning of the journey that I set out to try to achieve,” Rashford told the BBC after receiving the award.

“I think what I would like to do now that I’m in this position is just speak directly to the prime minister and really ask for the vouchers to be extended until at least October half-term because I think that’s what the families need.

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RASHFORD COMMITTED TO FIGHTING POVERTY AFTER MBE.

Marcus Rashford says it is an honour to receive an MBE in recognition of his services to help children across the United Kingdom at risk of going hungry during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m incredibly honoured and humbled,” he tells Man Utd’s official website after learning of his MBE, full title Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

“As a young black man from Wythenshawe, never did I think I would be accepting an MBE, never mind an MBE at the age of 22. This is a very special moment for myself and my family, but particularly my mum who is the real deserving recipient of the honour.”

Rashford helped to raise £20million and provide 2.8m children with meals while schools were closed due to COVID-19.

Not done there, the Manchester United Academy graduate stepped up his efforts to tackle childhood poverty by campaigning for an expansion in free school meals and holiday provision in a move to help a further 2.6m children and 290,000 pregnant women.

Now, Rashford says his work has still only just begun.

“The fight to protect our most vulnerable children is far from over,” he says.

“I would be doing my community, and the families I have met and spoken with, an injustice if I didn’t use this opportunity to respectfully urge the Prime Minister, who recommended me for this honour, to support our children during the October half-term with an extension of the voucher scheme, as the furlough scheme comes to an end and we face increased unemployment.”

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MARCUS RASHFORD AWARDED MBE FOR EFFORTS TO ABOLISH CHILD POVERTY.

Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his exceptional campaign to secure free meals for vulnerable children during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rashford’s high-profile campaign rallied support across the country after the government announced their intention to suspend the £15-a-week vouchers over the summer.

As pressure mounted and threatened to engulf the government in another crisis, Downing Street were forced into a volte-face and launched a new £120m fund for 1.3 million pupils in England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Rashford personally “to thank him for what he’s done”.

“I’m incredibly honoured and humbled. As a young black man from Wythenshawe, never did I think I would be accepting an MBE, never mind an MBE at the age of 22,” Rashford said in a statement via Manchester United.

“This is a very special moment for myself and my family, but particularly my mum who is the real deserving recipient of the honour.

“The fight to protect our most vulnerable children is far from over.

“I would be doing my community, and the families I have met and spoken with, an injustice if I didn’t use this opportunity to respectfully urge the Prime Minister, who recommended me for this honour, to support our children during the October half-term with an extension of the voucher scheme, as the furlough scheme comes to an end and we face increased unemployment.

“Another sticking plaster, but one that will give the parents of millions of children in the UK just one less thing to worry about.

“Let’s stand together in saying that no children in the UK should be going to bed hungry. As I have said many times before, no matter your feeling or opinion, not having access to food is never the child’s fault.”

Rashford has continued his efforts to instigate social change and eradicate child food poverty, assembling a task force of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and food brands to help those worst affected.

“Food poverty is contributing to social unrest,” he wrote in a letter to MPs. “Mothers and fathers are raising respectful, eloquent young men and women, who, in reality, are part of a system that will not allow them the opportunity to win and succeed. Add school closures, redundancies and furloughs into the equation and we have an issue that could negatively impact generations to come. It all starts with stability around access to food.

“To be well-nourished is the foundation of opportunity,” he added. “Any government serious about levelling up will ensure the most disadvantaged children have access to food.”

Rashford’s efforts have received widespread praise and he was awarded a special merit award by the Professional Footballers’ Association last month.

What we’ve done so far, it’s only a short-term answer,” he said at the time. “Me and my team behind me are just trying to find plans on how we can help these children for the rest of their childhood really; to find long-term answers to the problem.

“At the moment we don’t have the answers but we’ll do our best to try to find them, and to progress the situation that they are in at the moment the best we can.”

Also in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list Brendan Foster, the 1976 Olympic bronze medalist who founded the Great North Run, received a knighthood for services to international and national sport and culture in north-east England.

Former Wales rugby union coach Warren Gatland, who stepped down after 12 years at the helm following the 2019 World Cup, was awarded a CBE, while captain Alun Wyn Jones received an OBE for services to rugby union.

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Psg want Rashford

Paris Saint-Germain have had an awful lot of time to plan for next season, but manager Thomas Tuchel has been absolutely unwavering on one view. There’s been no second-guessing himself, or mulling it over.

The German sees Marcus Rashford as a top target. Tuchel has been even more emphatic when discussing it with key figures around the club. He thinks England “don’t realise how good a player Rashford actually is”.

The Old Trafford hierarchy, however, greatly value Rashford. It may take quite the offer to see how much. Even in this Covid-19 deflated market, United would want over £100m. Tuchel would probably be willing to pay it.

The PSG boss adores Rashford’s directness and versatility. He feels that willingness to run, as well as some of the more selfless aspects of his game, can greatly complement Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Rashford could even represent a long-term alternative to Mbappe, if Real Madrid can eventually make their move there.

This is also what Tuchel prizes. He feels Rashford can play in a number of positions, without his level dropping in any of them. That versatility is of particular value to Tuchel because of the variety he loves in his team’s attacks, as well as the desire for them to interchange and offer a whirlwind of movement.

He sees Rashford as “the perfect model of the modern dynamic attacking player”, who you can see fitting into most elite teams. ✕

It isn’t the only interest Rashford has had from major continental club, after all. Barcelona were very keen last year, at the time when they were trying to increase their points of attack, and trying to figure out who best to sign. They felt Rashford would have been perfectly suited to La Liga. They were also particularly impressed with his England form, and felt these showed that bigger games bring out even more in the 22-year-old.

Barca didn’t act at the time, both because they believed it would be too difficult to do a deal with United, and because there was an existing dialogue with Antoine Griezmann. What is true is that Rashford probably would have suited Barca’s 4-3-3 better than the French star, especially when producing that “wide raider” form that Gareth Southgate has so lionised.

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Marcus Rashford’s campaign forces government to provide summer food fund

Marcus Rashford’s campaign forces government to provide summer food fun

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will provide a summer food fund for struggling families in England, bowing to pressure from England forward Marcus Rashford and his campaign to prevent children from going hungry during the coronavirus pandemic.

British ministers originally said school food vouchers would not be available over the long summer holiday, prompting the 22-year-old Manchester United forward to take up the cause and reveal how he had relied on such support as a boy.

Before a debate in parliament, and as some lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party called for a change, Johnson’s spokesman said the government would be providing a COVID summer food fund costing around 120 million pounds ($150 million).

“Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the prime minister fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this we will be providing a COVID summer food fund,” his spokesman said.

Rashford used a column in the Times newspaper on Tuesday to argue that while he may not have the education of a lawmaker in parliament, he did have a social education.

He has already helped to raise around 20 million pounds with charity Fareshare UK to supply meals to struggling families.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he said on Twitter of the change in policy. “Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.”

The move by the government was met with widespread praise for Rashford from fellow sports stars, politicians, and the mayor of London. “Well played, Marcus. Well played,” said former England captain and pundit Gary Lineker on Twitter.

“Good to see Marcus Rashford keeping up his record of scoring on debut in each new competition,” one comment said.