The people behind the foundation
Our Founder
By Paul’s close friend, co-author and official Chelsea FC historian, Rick Glanvill
Paul Canoville was – and is – Black and Blue.
When I first sat down with Paul Canoville in a Crouch End cafe to discuss ‘Black and Blue’, I knew he was still ravaged by the physical and mental challenges that characterised his life after the curtain came down on his football dream.
We’d never met and I saw only glimpses of the real man. Get this project right, I said, and your circumstances could be completely transformed. The book became an acclaimed award-winner and, happily, Paul’s circumstances did improve. But it was not the book that did it – it was Paul himself, gradually, inexorably reassessing his past and regaining his trajectory in life.
Canners’ story is one of extreme racist bigotry, shattering career-ending injury, a decline into drug abuse, battles against cancer, family tragedy and a determination to beat the odds.
He was Chelsea’s first black first-team player, making his debut in 1982. But as he warmed up on the touchline, his own supporters began chanting “We don’t want the n*****!”
The vitriol went as far as letters sent to Chelsea FC addressed to Paul, with razor blades in the envelope flap. And the racist bile continued whenever he played, home and away, but within a year he had won over the terraces with his explosive pace and skill.
For Paul, two incidents reduced the abuse. In December 1983 he scored a hat-trick at home to Swansea, a wet Tuesday night in front of just 12,389 people. But from the well of the Shed rose a chant for the first time: “Canoville, Canoville, Canoville…” It was really only a murmur, but it was loud enough for all the ground to hear.
And then, in April 1984, two years after his debut, back at Crystal Palace, two years of monumental hatred, Pat Nevin scored the only goal of the game, and when questioned by the journalists about the match said he didn’t want to talk about it, he only wanted to talk about abuse still hurled at Paul. It had to stop. Soon after that intervention, Paul was crowned ‘King Canners’ by Blues fans.
At times there was also the dressing room to manoeuvre, and a pre-season incident in summer 1985 in which he encountered racist abuse from a team-mate led to confrontation, and he, the minority, was made to suffer. He started only three games that season and was transferred to Reading in 1986.
It was at his new club where Paul suffered a horrific challenge at the age of 24, which caused his eventual retirement the following year. This started a downward spiral including the death of his baby in his arms, two bouts of life-threatening lymph cancer, addiction and homelessness.
Yet Canners fought back to become a shining symbol of endurance and resistance. And despite everything, he is more positive than ever, remaining a fervent Chelsea fan all his life. His inspiring story is one of overcoming adversity and rising up resilient. I’m honoured to call him a friend.
The people behind the foundation
Our Trustees
Matt Uberoi
Chair
BIO
Matt is Chair of the Paul Canoville Foundation. He has a strong background in charity and community leadership having served on the boards of several third-sector organisations, managed impactful community programmes and been an elected councillor in London.
June Canoville
Vice Chair
BIO
- LinkedIn Profile
June is Vice Chair of the Paul Canoville Foundation. With over 20 years experience in Customer Service, June is an expert people manager, with specific sector experience within Logistics.
Outside of work, June is a fitness enthusiast and whilst she has moved on from her days of instructing, she regularly participates in fitness excursions both abroad and in the UK. June’s other personal interests include music, psychology, arts and crafts. June is Paul Canoville’s sister, hence why the mission of the Foundation is close to her heart.
The people behind the foundation
Our Patrons
Pat Nevin
Broadcaster & Former International Footballer
Bio
Pat is a former professional footballer and football club Chief Executive, and more recently football writer, broadcaster and author. In his younger student days Pat was an active anti-discrimination campaigner and during his time with Chelsea, was notably outspoken in his public support for Paul and against those targeting racist abuse at him during matches.
Claire Rafferty
Former International Footballer
Bio
Claire Rafferty was a hugely experienced defender in the Women’s Super League, having retired from West Ham United in 2019. She is Chelsea’s longest-serving player and has played at the World Cup and Olympic Games for England and Team GB respectively.
Claire joined Chelsea in 2007 and in her final season won her second domestic double before announcing her transfer to WSL side West Ham, in June 2018. She was part of both the Team GB squad which reached the quarter-finals at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 FA Cup winning Chelsea squad.
Claire represented England from Under-15s level, making her senior debut against Austria in March 2010. In 2015 she was the first-choice left back in the England side which won Bronze at the World Cup in Canada.
Since retiring from football, Claire has appeared on BBC, BT Sport, Sky Sports News, talkSPORT, TRT World, BBC 5Live, Yahoo Sports and Chelsea TV, and has covered major sporting events such as the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
Alongside her playing career, she held down a part-time job as a financial analyst for Deutsche Bank from 2012. Claire retired from football at the end of the 2019 season and took up the role of Partnership Sales Manager at former home club Chelsea FC.
Outside of football, Claire has an economics degree which she graduated with from Loughborough University in 2011. She also now works for Transfer Room as a Senior Customer Success Manager working to create successful transfers throughout their global network.
Frank Sinclair
Manager & Former International Footballer
Bio
Frank Sinclair is a former professional footballer whose distinguished career spanned over two decades, both in English football and on the international stage.
A product of the Chelsea youth system, Frank joined the club as an apprentice in 1988 and turned professional in 1990. He made his first-team debut in the early 1990s and quickly became a fan favourite for his dedication, defensive skill, and leadership on the pitch. He went on to enjoy successful spells with clubs including Leicester City—where he was part of the unforgettable 1999–2000 Premier League campaign—Burnley, Huddersfield Town, and more, making a lasting impression wherever he played.
Internationally, Frank represented Jamaica at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups, proudly wearing his country’s colours and demonstrating the global impact of his talent and determination. Following his playing career, he moved into management and coaching, bringing his experience and passion for the game to roles with various clubs and youth teams, mentoring the next generation of footballers.
Gus Poyet
Manager & Former International Footballer
Bio
In 1997, Gustavo Poyet transferred to Chelsea on a free and emerged as the club’s first South American player. For our younger demographic who may never have seen Gus play, he was the prevue to Frank Lampard where he began the trend of goalscoring midfielders in the No. 8 shirt Chelsea FC. He joined from Real Zaragoza, where he became their longest-serving foreign player, featuring in 239 league matches and scoring 63 goals.
Gus was known as a goalscoring midfielder, tallying 49 goals in 145 appearances for Chelsea, most notably a famous goal that he scored against Sunderland in the PL and a UEFA Super Cup Final goal against Real Madrid. Alongside the goals, he captured major honours including the Cup Winners’ Cup, Super Cup, FA Cup, and Community Shield.
On the international stage, Poyet represented Uruguay from 1993 to 2000, earning 26 caps and scoring 3 goals. He played a key role in Uruguay’s Copa América victory in 1995.
Gus Poyet began his managerial career as an assistant at Swindon, Leeds, and Tottenham, helping Spurs win the 2008 League Cup, before taking charge at Brighton & Hove Albion and leading them to the League One title in 2011. He later managed Sunderland to Premier League survival and a League Cup final, and went on to coach clubs across Europe, Asia, and South America, including AEK Athens, Real Betis, Shanghai Shenhua, Bordeaux, and Universidad Católica, where he won the Chilean Super Cup. In 2022, he became Greece’s national team manager, achieving promotion in the UEFA Nations League, and in late 2024 took over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea.
Frederick Afrifa
INTERnational ATHLETE & motivational speaker
Bio
Andy Myers came through Chelsea’s academy and made over 100 appearances for the Blues between 1991 and 1999, winning the FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup before moving on to Bradford City, where he became Player of the Year in 2001–02. He later played for Portsmouth (loan), Colchester United, and Brentford, finishing with over 200 league appearances across his career.
At international level, Myers represented England extensively at youth level, earning 40 caps from U16 to U21 and featuring in the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship. Though he never made a senior appearance, he was a key figure in England’s youth setup, known for his defensive versatility and leadership.
Following retirement, Myers built a strong reputation as a coach, starting at Chelsea’s academy and taking on roles across various age groups. He spent a season as assistant at Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem before returning to Chelsea to lead the U18s and Development Squad, winning the 2019–20 Premier League 2 title. More recently, he worked as Loan Player Technical Coach and served as Assistant Head Coach at Millwall in 2023–24.
