UCFB academic and lecturer in sports and football business and management Richard Flash takes a look at the influence of Caribbean nations on England's UEFA Euro teams going back to the 1980s.

Take a look at what he said below...

On Sunday June 30, Ivan Toney became the 43rd Black player to appear for England at UEFA’s European Football Championship. He also became the first known player of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines descent, to play for England at the Euros. His appearance against Slovakia brought the number of Caribbean countries represented by England players at the Euros to ten. Toney was sent on with two minutes of added time left. He inspired the team and his assist in extra-time led to their Round of 16 win.

Three years ago, the Euros was held across eleven European cities, with the final held at Wembley Stadium. Italy beat England on penalties, but the occasion was marred by ticketless fans breaching security before kick-off. Despite this, Sunday July 11, 2021 is largely remembered for the racism aimed at England’s Black players following the team’s defeat.

Three years on and for the first time in the Euros, England’s squad of 26 comprised 11 black players. Additionally, two of the white players (Cole Palmer and Kieran Trippier) have Caribbean and African lineage respectively. Therefore, half of the squad has Black ancestry. In light of this, this article reviews the Caribbean’s influence on England’s Euros teams.

The 1980s pioneers

Vivian Anderson MBE was born in Nottingham to Jamaican parents. Ron Greenwood picked the Nottingham Forest right-back for the 1980 Euros in Italy. He was the only Black player selected and he rubbed shoulders with Brooking, Keegan and Wilkins. He started against Spain in the third group match and became England’s ‘first’ Black Euros player. This meant Jamaica became the first Caribbean country to be represented in an England Euros team.

England failed to qualify for France in 1984 but four years later, in West Germany, John Barnes MBE became England’s second black Euros player. Viv Anderson joined him in the squad but was an unused substitute. Liverpool’s left winger was born in Jamaica which also made him England’s ‘first’ Caribbean-born Euros player. Bobby Robson selected the son of Jamaican and Trinidadian parents, which in turn made Anderson and Barnes England’s 1980s Euros pioneers.

Premier League trailblazers

The 1990s saw six black players given Euros debuts. In Sweden (1992) Graham Taylor started Des Walker, Keith Curle and Carlton Palmer against Denmark. Aston Villa’s Tony Daley replaced Curle in the second half and he, Walker and Palmer have Jamaican parents. In 1996, England hosted the finals and Terry Venables gave Paul Ince (Trinidad and Tobago) and Sol Campbell (Jamaica) their Euros debuts. The island of Saint Lucia was present in the squad via Les Ferdinand, but he did not play.

The 2000s

Three black players were picked in 2000 which was co-hosted in Belgium and the Netherlands. Kevin Keegan reselected Paul Ince and Sol Campbell so Liverpool’s Emile Heskey made Antigua and Barbuda the third Caribbean country represented at the Euros by the England team. Heskey played for England in both Euros this decade and went onto win 62 caps.

Portugal was UEFA’s host in 2004 and Sven-Göran Eriksson selected seven players of Caribbean descent, with Campbell and Heskey again included. David James MBE and Darius Vassell represented Jamaican ancestry whilst Tottenham’s Ledley King and Newcastle’s Kieron Dyer added to Antigua’s presence. Barbados became the fourth Caribbean country of influence through Arsenal’s Ashley Cole. Cole went onto become England’s first black centurion winning 107 caps.

The 2010s

During this decade, England played in both Euros under Roy Hodgson. In 2012 he reselected Ashley Cole and gave six players of Caribbean descent their Euros debuts. He handed starts in the opening group match against France to Joleon Lescott (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Glen Johnson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ashley Young (Jamaica). Jermain Defoe OBE and Theo Walcott (Jamaica) debuted as substitutes.

Lescott made Saint Kitts and Nevis the fifth Caribbean country of influence and also scored with a header against the French. Jermain Defoe’s parents are from Saint Lucia and Dominica making these islands the sixth and seventh Caribbean countries of influence respectively. Manchester-born Danny Welbeck is the son of Ghanaian parents. He became England’s first Euros player and scorer of African descent.

The 2016 squad comprised eight players with Caribbean ancestry. Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Chris Smalling and Raheem Sterling MBE (Jamaica) started against Russia. Daniel Sturridge (Jamaica) and Marcus Rashford MBE (Saint Kitts and Nevis) entered the match against Wales as substitutes, with Sturridge scoring the winner in added time. Nathaniel Clyne (Grenada) and Ryan Bertrand (Dominica) made their Euros debuts against Slovakia, therefore Grenada became the eighth Caribbean country of influence.

Euro 2020

In the rescheduled 2020 finals, England played nine players with Caribbean ancestry. Gareth Southgate reselected Walker, Sterling and Rashford and gave Euros debuts to Kalvin Phillips and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Jamaica), Tyrone Mings (Barbados), Reece James (Grenada and Dominica) and Jadon Sancho (Trinidad, Jamaica and Guyana). Jude Bellingham became England’s youngest Euros player at 17 years and 349 days. Jadon Sancho’s appearance against the Czech Republic made Guyana the ninth Caribbean country of influence.

Euro 2024

In Germany, ten of England’s eleven black players made an appearance. Interestingly, the players of African descent outnumbered those with Caribbean lineage. Nevertheless, the players of Caribbean descent were influential in helping England to the final. Jude Bellingham scored the winner in the opening group match and his overhead kick prevented England’s elimination. Cole Palmer, Bellingham and Ivan Toney scored penalties in the quarter-final. Ollie Watkins scored the winner against the Netherlands in the semi-final, whilst Cole Palmer equalized Spain’s opener in the final.

But let’s not forget the impact of Ivan Toney as a substitute in the Round of 16. His Euros debut followed a season of adversity, of which he appears to have overcome. He inspired England against Slovakia knowing that Hurricane Beryl was set to strike the Caribbean. At the beginning of July, the storm damaged 90 per cent of homes on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the island where he has close family and friends. Despite this, he set up Harry Kane’s winner and then scored ‘that’ penalty against Switzerland.

In 2021, the island experienced a volcanic eruption and Toney set up a fund-raising charity for the people affected. His sense of belonging to give back to his Caribbean community is a measure of his character. His character on the pitch was called upon against Spain, perhaps a little too late by Gareth Southgate. The pioneering Viv Anderson started flying the Caribbean flags back in 1980. With Ivan Toney now flying the tenth, perhaps he will inspire future England players of Caribbean descent.

 

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