Shola Ameobi: ‘I thought: how can I be most useful to Newcastle? Then the cog started turning’

From experiencing racism growing up in Newcastle to becoming a derby hero and now a member of the executive team, the former striker has been on a remarkable journey “There were times where I feared for my life as a kid, being harassed and chased by different groups of people,” Shola Ameobi says.

“There were situations where I had to sprint to get away from groups of lads who didn’t like me because of what I looked like. ” Ameobi is recalling growing up in Newcastle during the late 1980s and 1990s, having moved from Nigeria aged six. There were, he says, “lots of moments” like that. “It was…