Paul Pogba’s ‘Pace and Power’ Stresses Need for Rethink Over Bame Coverage

 Paul Pogba’s physical attributes are often praised rather than his creative and technical prowess. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Paul Pogba’s physical attributes are often praised rather than his creative and technical prowess. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
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Paul Pogba’s ‘Pace and Power’ Stresses Need for Rethink Over Bame Coverage

 Paul Pogba’s physical attributes are often praised rather than his creative and technical prowess. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Paul Pogba’s physical attributes are often praised rather than his creative and technical prowess. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

It is just over six weeks since Raheem Sterling caused a stir on an otherwise sleepy Sunday morning. Dogs were being walked and churches were being prepared for service when the winger grabbed people’s attention with that Instagram post. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, we were talking about race.

Specifically, we were talking about how we talk about race. Sterling had homed in on the practices of certain sections of the media, claiming they helped “fuel racism”, and from the industry came an acceptance that things had to change. Chins were stroked, think pieces were written. This, we were told, was a turning point. And then everyone simply turned back to what they had previously been doing.

The debate moved on, to things such as spying and who Tottenham may sign to cover Harry Kane while he’s injured, with the Guardian prone to this as much as any publication. Sadly, it’s often the way when it comes to attention on racism in this country. But that’s not to say many of the journalists who came out in support of Sterling do not care, or to overlook the fact change takes time. In that regard it is encouraging to know, as I do, that there’s a broad-ranging group of media figures working slowly but surely behind the scenes right now to improve black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) coverage across all sports.

Whether they succeed or not is difficult to call but the will is there to change an environment in which phrases such as “crystal-encrusted sink” are allowed to enter the national lexicon, causing harm and upset. Some will argue that those responsible should know better, which is true, but what is also required is a considered, proactive stance right across the board.

And that’s not just in regards to the type of stuff that leads to a 24‑year‑old elite footballer feeling compelled to use social media as a political platform. It also relates to misdemeanours that are subtle and largely unintended but, in their own way, also cause damage. Which brings me to Paul Pogba.

You may have noticed he has been playing well for Manchester United recently, scoring his fifth goal in five games during the 2-1 win against Brighton on Saturday. The upturn has coincided with José Mourinho’s departure from the club, and given the Portuguese was very much the Dave Clifton to Pogba’s Alan Partridge during their time together at Old Trafford that is no great surprise. The Frenchman’s mood has lifted and improved displays have followed. In turn, that has been discussed and analysed, leading to the use of a particular thread of language.Take the column Jamie Redknapp wrote for the Daily Mail following United’s 4-1 victory against Bournemouth in December, in which he spoke about Pogba’s “pace” and “power” and how the midfielder “knows he is bigger and stronger than you” in regards to his second goal of the game, a 33rd-minute header.

There has been similar from others, including Graeme Souness during his punditry stint for United’s 1-0 win at Tottenham, when the Scot spoke a lot about Pogba’s hard running and muscularity during a contest in which his most telling contribution had been the pinpoint delivery that set up Marcus Rashford’s goal. It is all well intended – and, it should be noted, Redknapp and Souness both went on to praise Pogba’s technical traits – but the dominating aspect of the analysis feeds into narrative that follows black athletes around, namely that their primary attributes are physical rather than creative or intellectual.

The same narrative explains why certain black players – think Patrick Vieira, Yaya Touré and Mousa Dembélé – are referred to as “beasts” and why, on a broader level, there are so few black coaches and managers. To stress, much of this is unintentional – the type of unconscious bias we’re all guilty of – but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be addressed. That’s what the people behind the Touchline Fracas podcast have done by bringing out T-shirts with “PNP” on the front – “Pace and power”; a phrase they and many other black people are tired of hearing.

“A lot of this comes down to an old-school way of thinking, that black players aren’t capable of being, or to be trusted as, the ‘orchestrator’ in important positions. It’s repeated so often that it’s become a common belief,” says Touchline Fracas contributor Ife Meedolson. “Pogba is a modern-day example of someone who’s been affected by this. He’s one of the best technicians in the world, a brilliant passer, yet so much of the discussion around him is based on his athleticism and, yes, his pace and power.”

A change of language requires a change of culture, which means those involved thinking more about what they say and write. In the long term what would undeniably help is greater diversity. Quite simply, the more BAME editors, writers, producers and presenters there are the better the BAME coverage will be. That’s also required in an industry which, to be blunt, has been too white for too long and needs to do a better job of reflecting the society it represents.

And anyone doubting something undesirable is going on in regards to how Pogba is covered should consider the fact that, size‑wise, he isn’t particularly big for a modern midfielder; 6ft 3in and 84kg, almost identical to André Gomes (6ft 2in and 84kg), and yet the coverage around the latter’s generally positive impact at Everton has been less about his physicality and more about his craft.

All of this is difficult territory but as John Barnes, a consistently exceptional voice on football and race, says: “We need to talk openly about perceptions and not be afraid of the fact we have different views about people based on how they look.”

That is especially true of the media given the influence those involved hold on public discourse. There needs to be more thought, kindness, fairness and diversity. Otherwise Sterling’s Sunday intervention really will have been for nothing.

The Guardian Sport



Trump to Attend Club World Cup Final, FIFA Opens Office in Trump Tower

President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP)
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Trump to Attend Club World Cup Final, FIFA Opens Office in Trump Tower

President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP)
President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP)

US President Donald Trump will attend Sunday's Club World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, he said at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, as world soccer's ruling body FIFA announced it had opened an office in New York's Trump Tower.

The expanded tournament featuring many of the world's best club teams has been widely seen as a dry run for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico with a record 48 national teams taking part.

Sunday's Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium will be a preview of next year's championship match, with the home of the NFL's New York Jets and Giants also hosting the 2026 finale.

"I'll be going to the game," Trump told reporters.

The news came a day after FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the opening of a representative office at Trump Tower, where the Club World Cup trophy will be on display until the final.

"We have received such a big support from the government and from the President with the White House Task Force for the FIFA Club World Cup (now) and for the FIFA World Cup next year," Infantino said.

Trump has not shied away from sport's super-sized spotlight during his second term, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in February, and in May announcing DC as the host for the 2027 NFL Draft from the Oval Office.

His immigration crackdown and travel ban on 12 countries have prompted concerns ahead of the 2026 World Cup, however, even as Infantino offered assurances that the world will be welcomed in the US for the quadrennial global showpiece event.

A memo obtained by Reuters last month showed that the Trump administration was considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the US.