London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Prince William 'deeply concerned' by Bradford junior football racism

Prince William 'deeply concerned' by Bradford junior football racism

The Prince of Wales has told a junior football club in Bradford he is "deeply concerned" about racist abuse its players have endured on the pitch.

Mohammed Waheed, who coaches Alpha United Juniors, said players as young as seven had been subjected to racial slurs and threats of violence.

He wrote to Kensington Palace claiming he had raised the issue with the Football Association (FA) to no avail.

Prince William said all those responsible must be held to account.

The prince, who is president of the FA, said he was "particularly saddened" to hear about "the effects this intolerable action can have on those who are simply wanting to play a game of football".

Mr Waheed said he decided to publicise Prince William's letter because he felt the FA had not acted quickly enough


A letter to Mr Waheed from Prince William's private secretary said the royal had raised Mr Waheed's concerns with the FA and asked them to "take the necessary action".

The prince also expressed his "sincere sorrow to anyone affected" and "profound support for all that you and the club are doing to stop racism".

Mr Waheed wrote to him in January and decided to share his response, which was sent last month, as he was unhappy with West Riding FA's investigation process.

Mr Waheed, who founded the club, said the same abuse happens "over and over again"


He said Alpha United Juniors had reported "between 50 and 60 cases" of racism.

Player and coach Ateeb Hussain, 17, told the BBC he had been racially abused "a lot" by opposition footballers, coaches and spectators.

He said he felt "very uncomfortable with the words that are coming out of their mouths".

Ateeb Hussain said he had suffered a lot of racial abuse by opposition clubs


Mr Waheed, who also founded the club, said: "The same transgressions happen over and over again with no accountability taken from the county FA.

"We've had many clubs reach out saying the exact same thing, so clearly there's a failure somewhere along the line."

The West Riding County FA said it condemned "any form of discrimination, whether in football or out of it, and where it sits within our jurisdiction, we will do all we can to bring perpetrators to account".

A spokesperson added: "We have received two referrals from Alpha this year, both of which are being investigated."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×