you have mentioned your admiration for lewis hamilton, naomi osaka and now we have the likes of marcus rashfordking about child food poverty and raheem sterling about racism. you are very much at the centre of a new era it seems about athletes and actors is. athletes using their profile to change society. how important do you think that superstar athletes like yourself and those others i haven't mentioned do have opinions and use their profile to try and improve society because there are some who say, stick to sport, don't get involved in society or politics, just focus on your main job? i think that is selfish. if you stop playing, then you have to face all the stuff and you have the platform to use your voice and the thing is, you don't have to speak up about everything. you can speak about something that matters to you. i believe there is a soldier for each fight and we are battling to make sure this world is a better place and we are fighting for a lot of people who cannot fight for themselves. the thing is this, if i am fighting for this, we are not fighting against each other, we are both

they have been given a great platform, players like raheem sterling, marcus rashford, having the confidencens because in my younger age, i probably did not come out and address it. yeah, so we are thankful that people like them pave the way for the next generation. football fans have a role to play in talking about the kind - of behaviours that should be - acceptable of football fans in 2021, and where they are not i meeting those standards, then take a stand. we are in denial of a lot i of the racism that happens in society and in football by very definition. - until we start having honest- conversations about what racism looks like and what we need to do to address it, we will be back- here again in 20 years' time. so, if football and its fans are a mere reflection of society, then the battle with racism could go one of two ways — either football can use its power, popularity and influence to help change attitudes and mindsets, or the alternative, those attitudes and those mindsets will need changing long before they come into contact with football. for the younger generation, be confiden

the voice of people who say stick to football to people like him and marcus rashford.g are trying to do more outside the game and i think it is bringing about a positive change and sending about a positive change and sending a positive message to players and everyone else. is that the today programme today? yes, this morning. early start. you can catch up with that on bbc sounds. time now to get the news, where you are. good morning from the news teams in london and the south east. charities and police are urging victims of domestic abuse not to suffer in silence over the holidays. it's estimated around 300 women and children in london are spending the festive season in refuges. last year during the pandemic domestic abuse increased by 40%, and this was when women and children were locked in with their perpetrators. and it's the same over the christmas period. lockdown gives perpetrators the perfect excuse for controlling behaviour. a driver's in hospital after receiving potentially life threatening injuries in a two—car crash near westerham. it happened yesterday morn

the national food strategy has got a really long way in making changes and marcus rashford, brilliantjobmessages and thank youse to us which is amazing. even at the point of handing over the beds, we deliver with a brand—new mattress, bed based pyjamas, duvet covers and a pillowcase and all of that new gorgeous stuff in, these families are often in the depths a poverty crisis and something brand—new and gorgeous being delivered to them kick—starts that hope, changes the trajectory and that's really important and that's the main thing and the children never cease to amaze me by how excited they get about a toothbrush and a pair of pyjamas. about a toothbrush and a pair of - 'amas. ., . , about a toothbrush and a pair of - 'amas. ., ., , ., about a toothbrush and a pair of - 'amas. ., . , ., , about a toothbrush and a pair of - 'amas. ., ., , ., , ., pyjamas. you have been doing this a while now. have _ pyjamas. you have been doing this a while now. have you _ pyjamas. you have been doing this a while now. have you noticed - pyjamas. you have been doing this a while now. have you noticed a