Parma, 14 May 2021 – Every time Parma Calcio take to the pitch, they are united against discrimination. In the next home game against Sassuolo on matchday 37 of the 20/21 Serie A season, the Crociati will wear a special kit dedicated to Black Lives Matter and the fight against discrimination.
Strongly backed by Club President Kyle Krause, this is a campaign which aims to clearly underline one of the cornerstones of the Club’s own values. Through this special jersey, the desire is to demonstrate the importance of equality, unity and brotherhood, as we all try to build a world in which every life has the same value, without discrimination.
“We all must play our part to fight racism both on the pitch and off.“ said President Kyle Krause. “Today, we wear these jerseys to raise our collective voice in the global fight against racism, xenophobia and hate“
This initiative has the backing of a legend who wrote unforgettable pages in Parma history, who also fights every day against every form of discrimination. This person is Lilian Thuram, who had this to say about the initiative: “I proudly support this initiative from Parma, a team where I spent a key part of my career. I’m also proud to see how great the sensitivity of the whole Gialloblù family is to this issue”. Thuram, who has always been particularly attuned to this issue, is also the author of: “My black heroes, from Lucy to Barack Obama” and “For equality”, while his newest book, “The White Thought”, will hit stores in September 2021.
Hand-in-hand with Parma Calcio itself, Cetilar, Old Wild West, Viva La Mamma, Canovi Coperture and Erreà will step out onto the pitch against Sassuolo: their logos will be imprinted on the special shirt which has ‘tone on tone’ colour, with reduced visibility compared to the jerseys usually worn on the pitch. All of the sponsors, however, have enthusiastically accepted this choice of colour, with the desire to make the message that Parma Calcio want to transmit even stronger.
The initiative was presented this morning through a video featuring four Crociati players: Juraj Kucka (first team), Drissa Camara (First team/Parma U19s), Giulia Soncini (U19 women’s team) and Gabriele Romano (Parma U10s). Lilian Thuram, a spokesperson for the initiative, also appears in the video and explains the message behind it.
The campaign will benefit charitable causes. From today, it’s possible to purchase the official ‘Parma Calcio – Black Lives Matters’ shirt in limited edition on the official Parma Calcio online shop.
Furthermore, for those who want to contribute by purchasing a unique item, the original numbered ‘match worn’ and ‘match prepared’ shirts that the players will use on matchday will be put on sale from Monday. They will also be available on the official Parma Calcio online shop.
All proceeds from the initiative will be donated to one of the intercultural and solidarity projects run by the CIAC, Centro Immigrazione Asilo e Cooperazione Onlus (Centre for Immigration, Asylum and International Cooperation), in Parma, as well as the Lilian Thuram Foundation.
The special kit that the Gialloblù players will wear against Sassuolo on Sunday is produced by Erreà, Parma Calcio’s technical sponsor.
