Chelsea legend Paul Canoville: Lack of role models at heart of 'senseless' London crime

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Chelsea legend Paul Canoville believes a lack of positive role models is at the heart of London’s “senseless” violent crime epidemic.

Retired midfielder Mr Canoville, 57 — the Blues’ first black player — uses football and mentoring to support young people from the poorest communities.

One youth organisation he works with has lost several young players to gun and knife crime, and dozens have been caught up in county lines drug gangs. Despite this, they have managed to get one of their 15-year-olds into Chelsea FC’s academy.

Mr Canoville said: “The level of knife crime in London is unbelievable. I just don’t get why teenagers are running around killing teenagers. It’s senseless. A lot of it is down to poverty and not having positive role models in the family. I didn’t have a father figure, so I’ve seen it, done it.

“The dealers put money in front of the kids and that’s the trigger. They pretend to be a father figure, ask them to do a favour and then they’re in debt and can’t get out. If the youngster deals drugs and gets away with it, he thinks it’s easy and carries on. But I tell them: ‘It’s not the father figure who gets arrested, it’s you going to jail.’ ”

Mr Canoville speaks to hundreds of pupils at school assemblies across London and tells of his own upbringing in a single-parent family.

He said: “I impress on them that after what early pioneers like myself had to put up with when we first arrived in football, they should be proud in their skin and take pride in each other. I talk about how tough it was for me with National Front racists on the terraces. They don’t have that level of abuse.”

Mr Canoville, who was sent to borstal at 15 for raiding an electrical shop, describes his younger self as a “wayward lamb following sheep”.

He joined Chelsea in 1981 but a career-ending injury at 25 led to crack-cocaine addiction, and he overcame cancer three times. In 2015, he set up the Paul Canoville Foundation, a charity helping young people facing economic, physical or mental adversity to further their talent.

Mr Canoville also works with the Chelsea Academy, who have been praised for giving opportunities to young ethnic minority players.

He added: “The 15-year-old at Chelsea has talent, he is being pushed to better himself. It’s up to him now with our support.

“I’m not a politician but they need to give youngsters something that works. Investment in youth services would be a guaranteed safety net for those that aren’t going to be footballers or follow Stormzy into the charts.

“I believe I’m doing the right thing, many of the kids I work with are staying out of trouble. I wasn’t perfect or an angel when I was growing up but I was given a chance by a friend who told me I had talent and shouldn’t waste it.”

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