UNIFY

A portrait series examining issues of race and inclusion through the lens of football

by Yusuf Ismail and photographer Shawqi Hasson

This project started in late August 2019, when I was invited to watch a Cardiff City game by a few friends and noticed the stadium had very few people of colour watching the game. As someone born and bred in Cardiff and of Somali descent, I found it strange that a stadium that holds 36, 000 had so few black people in the stadium. Upon leaving the game I left the game, confused and wondered why I became so conscious of my skin colour the minute I stepped into the stadium.

I did a little research the next day and began uncovering that the Club had a complicated relationship borderline mistrust with BAME communities in Cardiff for over two decades. Some of it due to a contingent within their fan base called the Cardiff City “Soul Crew” having roots in fascism early in their development.

This prompted to create a portraiture series which showcased the diversity within Cardiff. With my creative partner and best friend Shawqi, we decided to photograph 40 subjects from Cardiff with the only criteria being that they hailed from diverse backgrounds and lived in the city or contributed to Cardiff in a measurable way.  We called the project “My City, My Shirt”. 

Our aim initially was to create an exhibition but during this time the was a nationwide outcry of high profile Black Football players being subjected to racial abuse. High profile players like Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford. We felt that it would be more impactful to create a campaign that could be seen within the streets of Cardiff.  The aim of the campaign was to change the existing perception of the club within BAME communities and help Cardiff City position themselves as a club that celebrated diversity and encourages inclusion.

- Yusuf Ismail, Co-creator