Arsenal mark anti-knife crime support with all-white kit

LONDON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Arsenal will swap their usual colours for an all-white kit for Sunday’s home FA Cup clash against Nottingham Forest in support of the club’s anti-knife crime initiative.

The one-off strip will highlight the No More Red initiative between Arsenal and kit supplier Adidas.

“The kit will never be commercially available and will only ever be awarded to individuals who are making a positive difference in the community,” the club said.

After the game the shirts worn by outfield players will be gifted to community organisations working to combat the root causes of knife crime and youth violence.

Ian Wright, the club’s record goalscorer and a mentor in the No More Red scheme, said youngsters deserve safe environments.

“We can never accept loss of life through youth violence as ‘normal’ in our city and it’s so important that we all work together to create a better environment for young people,” he said.

The Metropolitan Police said the number of teenagers killed in London in 2021 was the highest in a year since 2008, with 30 fatalities, 27 of whom were stabbed to death.

Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Alexander Smith

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