Mural for Liverpool’s first black player, Howard Gayle, unveiled

A mural featuring Liverpool’s first black player, Howard Gayle, has been unveiled in the city.

The 66-year-old was born in Toxteth and signed a professional contract with the club in 1977.

He became a role model following his outstanding performance for the Reds in a European Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich in 1981 and his activism.

Mr Gayle said he hoped the mural, on Upper Warwick Street in Toxteth, would showcase unity in the area.

“There are more different cultures based here than anywhere in the Northwest, and we get along with each other,” he said.

“There are a lot of untold stories of people working within the community and contributing to it and that’s why, right now, it’s a safe place to live and it’s a safe place to be.

“There’s so much going on here and the community is tight-knit, but people who don’t live here don’t really see it.”

Mr Gayle was the youngest of four brothers, born after his father settled in the Sierra Leone area after the Second World War, and met his Ghanaian wife in Liverpool.

Appearing in the second leg of the 1981 European Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich, Mr Gayle went on to represent the likes of Birmingham City, Sunderland, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers.

He said getting the opportunity to play for his boyhood club was a “great feeling” for him and his family.

“It was brilliant and even more so when I came home and saw the joy and happiness it brought to people in our area, in our community.

“For the first time in a long time the community was recognized for something positive.”

He was subjected to racial abuse throughout his playing career and has since become one of the country’s most dedicated activists, working to eradicate racism from the game.

“I’ve always been open when things are wrong or unfair. That’s just something that comes with being a Scouser,” he said.

“We’re going to challenge the things that are wrong, we’re going to challenge the things that are set up to benefit us but end up holding us back.

“We’ve been on the receiving end of injustice for more than a thousand years, it’s not something that just came out last week.”

The mural is the second in a series of works commissioned by local charity Mandela8 and is painted by local artist John Culshaw.

Sonia Bassey MBE, president of Mandela8, said the mural, which was a collaboration with the Riverside Foundation, was of “someone who not only made history, but someone who is now using his position to help others”. .

“It’s also important to us that Howard be recognized as a role model in this community,” she said.

“He comes from a long line of activists in this community, he’s done a lot to stand up to racism in this city.

“He’s worked a lot with young people to change their mindset, to make sure they’re empowered and qualified to believe they can go on to do great things, and that’s really important to us in our community.

“We’re following in Howard’s footsteps, not in football, but in the sense of activism that he represented in this city for many, many years.”