Marcus Rashford, one of the bookmakers’ favourites to win the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year, is not certain to make the shortlist for the award.
The Manchester United and England star had been widely expected to win the prize after his free-school-meals campaign, but he may miss out amid uncertainty around whether he fits the award’s criteria.
The award in the past has been based around sporting achievements and, as a result, Rashford could be omitted from the shortlist.
When asked by Standard Sport on Tuesday morning if this could be the case, a BBC spokesperson said: “The panel of sporting experts will meet to decide SPOTY 2020 shortlist next month. The shortlist and criteria will be published in due course.”
The hope for Rashford will be that the criteria for this year’s awards is different to reflect his work off the pitch.
There could be scope for such a change, given the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on sport and society this year. Should Rashford be excluded from the shortlist there is likely to be a significant public backlash.
The 22-year-old forced the Government into a U-turn over their policy on free school meals in the summer and has continued his fight ahead of this month’s half-term.
Rashford’s case has been rejected, but he is now sharing messages on Twitter from local businesses that have pledged to support his campaign in the hope children can still be fed in the holidays.
