Ken Sema standing tall for Watford as Hornets lead the way on diversity
To Watford fans, he is 'King Ken' – although his only crowns are the social media emojis on congratulatory messages when he proves the Hornets' matchwinner.
A missile into the top corner at Swansea on Tuesday night turned Ken Sema's life into another game of thrones, and now he is a people's champion leading the fight against bigotry. Before kick-off on Saturday, Watford and Millwall players will parade a 24ft banner bearing the legend United Against Racism, reinforcing an EFL campaign calling for supporters to report incidents of discrimination in the stands or online.
And Sema, the popular Swedish winger who is now the Hornets' longest-serving outfield player, said: “I'm proud that, as a club, we are trying to bring out the good things in people because there is so much abuse, especially on social media, and we must try to rise above it.”
Watford, the original family club who stood tall during the hooligan excess of the 1980s, have been front-runners in making another stand for decency. Where other clubs contained fans in cages, Graham Taylor and Sir Elton John provided family enclosures as safe havens – no adults admitted unless accompanied by a responsible child.
More recently, the Hornets have excelled with the first purpose-built sensory room in English football to their award-winning Golden Memories reminiscence programme for fans coping with the onset of dementia. Now their acclaimed 'We' campaign is another bold step to tackle unacceptable discrimination and abuse, with dedicated club staff working with Hertfordshire police's hate crime unit.
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Since its inception in August 2019, they have received more than 100 complaints, with a total of 38 incidents reported last season – a 32 percent drop on 2021/22. Watford are especially keen to eradicate the “g-word” from their fans' vocabulary – a derivative of gypsy which has featured in a popular chant about arch-rivals Luton.
Sema, last man standing in the Hornets squad who reached the 2019 FA Cup final, is already serving under his 11th head coach at Watford. But from Javi Gracia to Quique Sanchez Flores, Nigel Pearson, Vladimir Ivic, Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri, Roy Hodgson, Rob Edwards, Slaven Bilic, Chris Wilder and Valerien Ismael, he has been in tune with the club's keynote principles.
Sema is enjoying his time with Watford (Getty Images)“I'm proud to play for a club with togetherness and diversity at its heart,” he said. “As a black man from Sweden, I have always felt at home here and that the club is trying to build a special connection between the team and our fans. Obviously it helps when you play well and win games, but whatever happens on the pitch, it is important to treat each other with respect.”
Mercifully Sema, 30, has never been a target of racism in its most primitive forms, but last season he was hailed worldwide for his courage in conducting post-match interviews through a stammer which has accompanied him since childhood. Where others may have been inclined to conceal it, King Ken has become a role model for those who live with speech impediments – and he is mildly baffled by his celebrity.
“I scored twice when we beat West Brom 3-2 last season, I did an interview afterwards and when I got home my phone was going mad, the reaction was unbelievable,” he said. “I didn't realise it was a big deal because I had spoken to the media many times before and everything was normal.
“I didn't see it as being brave – if other people have taken courage from it, I'm proud if I can help - but all of a sudden everyone wanted to speak to me, not only here and in Sweden but all over the world, from Argentina, Africa, everywhere.
“A stammer does not stop you from playing football, but if they see me talking about it and find the inner peace to express themselves, I'm just thankful to be that guy who helped them find their voice.”
Sema's interview was viewed 12 million times on Watford's YouTube channel alone. Their 'We' campaign deserves a big audience, too, because like Taylor and Elton's heyday, the Hornets are standing up for decency again.
“It is important that we keep encouraging fans to support their team and not use bad language which causes offence because there is so much anger and evil in the world,” he said. “I'm proud that, as a club, we are trying to bring out the good things in people because there is so much abuse on social media and we must try to rise above it.”
Head coach Valerien Ismael challenged his players to mark the third anniversary of his first game in English football – Barnsley's 3-0 win against QPR in October 2020 – with a third consecutive win. Millwall took six points off Watford last season but he said: “The momentum is back, our confidence is returning and it is an opportunity to build them further.”
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