Khadija Shaw: Confronting Racism and Sexism in the World of Football
Let’s talk about Khadija Monifa ‘Bunny’ Shaw… From Spanish Town, Jamaica to the wet and windy shores of Manchester, England, the Manchester City striker continues to set the bar of footballing excellence so high in the WSL it can no longer be ignored.
In recent weeks, Khadija Shaw – commonly known as Bunny – has been pushed into the spotlight as a result of the unsavoury actions of the bottom of the barrel social media users, but rather than give complete attention to the cancer’s that continue to plague the beautiful game, time would be better spent giving Shaw to the world.
To summarise briefly, following Man City’s 4-3 home loss against Arsenal in the Women’s Super League (WSL) last month, Shaw was subjected to a barrage of racist and misogynistic abuse which led to her pulling out of The Citizens’ cup tie days later to protect her mental health and wellbeing.
We’ve seen multiple footballers on the men’s side experience racist abuse and in recent weeks familiar patterns are starting to emerge in how the media speak about up and coming black footballers. The same narratives of being humble and daring not to have any type of personality are at the forefront of the commentary but the footballing community are awake to this and allegiances notwithstanding, have come to the defence of these footballers.
For those whose first introduction to who Bunny Shaw is, was as a result of the abuse she was subjected to, I can only apologise; there is an excellence that is not talked about enough and I am duty bound to celebrate Bunny as the footballing world have done her peers and counterparts on the men’s side.
Shaw moved to Man City from French outfit Bordeaux in 2021 following two seasons where she amassed 34 goals in 39 games; finishing the 2020/21 season as the league’s top scorer.
During her debut season at City, Shaw primarily deputised as understudy to then WSL All Time leading goalscorer Ellen White and finished the season with 19 goals in 28 appearances. Mentored by Man City legend Shaun Goater and advised by Raheem Sterling, Shaw had a taste for the WSL and was ready to take her game to the next level.
Following White’s retirement, Shaw came into her own in the 2022/23 season, establishing herself as one of the best in England’s top division. She finished the season with 31 strikes in all competitions, smashing the previous club record for the most goals across a single season set by Nikita Parris in 2018/19 which stood at 24.
Shaw was voted Man City’s Player of the Year and she also became the first ever Caribbean player to win the CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year. In the summer of 2023, Shaw captained Jamaica to their 2nd World Cup Finals appearance as they became the first Caribbean country to reach the knockout rounds in any Women’s World Cup – finishing above Brazil in their group of death.
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Internationally, Shaw has 57 goals in 44 games, making her Jamaica’s most prolific goalscorer of all time, man or woman. The 2023/24 season proved to be Shaw’s best individual season thus far. She amassed 21 goals in 18 games and was on pace to break the individual scoring record set by Vivianne Miedema (22) when injury curtailed her – and arguably City’s – season with three games to go.
Without Shaw, City went on to lose to Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season and ended the league campaign in second on goal difference to Chelsea. Disappointment notwithstanding, Shaw was voted as both the PFA Player of the Year and the FWA’s Women’s Footballer of the Year to go along with being awarded the WSL Golden Boot – averaging the best goal to game ratio in WSL history.
Fast forward to this season, Bunny has picked up where she left off last season on her record-breaking trajectory, surpassing Miedema in becoming the stand alone WSL leader in hat-tricks (7). She is the current runaway top scorer in the WSL with 11 goals in 13; three ahead of Alessia Russo and is on pace to become the third player to win the Golden Boot in successive seasons after Miedema and Sam Kerr.
In March 2024, Shaw bested Georgia Stanway’s tally of 67 goals (which she reached in 186 appearances) to become Manchester City’s greatest ever goalscorer. Shaw surpassed this total in a remarkable 81 matches in just her third full season at the Club, to crown a list of broken goalscoring records. Now in her 4th campaign, Shaw has amassed a devastating 89 goals in 102 total games for Man City, boasting an impressive 61 in 70 WSL matches and counting.
No player should be subjected to any form of racist or sexist abuse. Whilst this type of abuse directed at Black players is neither new nor surprising, the excuses used and made to justify criticising players which allow the social media hounds to pile on with racist rhetorics hold little weight when we look at the body of work of Shaw. A model professional who consistently delivers when called upon.
The reality is racism in football exists as loud as ever and it doesn’t matter how good you are, how well you play or who you play for. As a football community, we are a long way from where we want the sport to be and whilst the reality is no campaign, no advert, no kneeling or sanction as presently constructed is the solution, we will never stop fighting for what’s right. There is no room in football for racism, sexism or oppression.
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In an industry where representation matters, not only is she a shining light, but she is an inspiration to so many young black girls who have hopes and dreams of becoming professional footballers one day. From a small county in Middlesex, Jamaica to the summit of the most watched women’s league in the world; Shaw is a trailblazer. In spite of the adversity faced, Shaw has returned to City determined to not let the scumbags who bring shame to the sport win and continues to let her talking be done on the pitch.
She is so deserving of her flowers and I am proud to be able to celebrate her. Strength and Love to Bunny. The football community stands with you.
By: @itweetbanter
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Martin Rickett – PA Images