Racism in Football

[Exiled_red]

I find it interesting that there has been a great deal of chat about what I believe are isolated racially motivated incidents on the pitch which are generally unrepresentative of what goes on on most pitches on a Sat/Sun afternoon (at least I think that's the case, maybe I lead a sheltered life in that respect), and possibly even more chat about slightly irrelevant stuff around that such as tshirts and handshakes, when what I would perceive as the far greater question of institutional racism surrounding the English football establishment, in the boardrooms, the press boxes and at management & coaching level, gets far less attention.

That's not to say people shouldn't talk about the other stuff, of course they should and perhaps not has much has changed as it had appeared, but personally that's what I think the racism in football debate should be about if we're to see true progress beyond what has (mostly) been achieved in the last 20 years or so.

I guess the issue with that is it's easy to see the racism when it's a player picked up on camera racially abusing someone, or the fans making racist noises or chants, it's much more difficult getting the people in authority to admit that there is a racist element to what goes on in private.

I guess the irony is that the people in charge of the English game seem to take the moral high ground about racism, they seem to enjoy getting on their high horse and look down on everyone else.

[dww]

I find it interesting that there has been a great deal of chat about what I believe are isolated racially motivated incidents on the pitch which are generally unrepresentative of what goes on on most pitches on a Sat/Sun afternoon (at least I think that's the case, maybe I lead a sheltered life in that respect), and possibly even more chat about slightly irrelevant stuff around that such as tshirts and handshakes, when what I would perceive as the far greater question of institutional racism surrounding the English football establishment, in the boardrooms, the press boxes and at management & coaching level, gets far less attention.

That's not to say people shouldn't talk about the other stuff, of course they should and perhaps not has much has changed as it had appeared, but personally that's what I think the racism in football debate should be about if we're to see true progress beyond what has (mostly) been achieved in the last 20 years or so.

I think to a degree we have to assume that the strong stance taken by Roberts and the Ferdinands is, at least partly, motivated either by the bigger picture you portray or at least by a general feeling that non-white European players get a bad deal in football. The specific instances merely provide a platform and the publicity to have a wider conversation.

It is pretty clear to everyone that the FAs approach is inconsistent, hypocritical and generally not very good at dealing with the present set of problems surrounding race in football. Clearly massive progress has been made in some areas (i.e. crowd chanting) but much less/none in others. There is a danger that the FA and the Kick It Out campaign seem to feel that T-shirts and PR are all that is needed.

[Bender]

John Barnes is on talksport in 15 mins

[paulg]

I think to a degree we have to assume that the strong stance taken by Roberts and the Ferdinands is, at least partly, motivated either by the bigger picture you portray or at least by a general feeling that non-white European players get a bad deal in football. The specific instances merely provide a platform and the publicity to have a wider conversation.

It is pretty clear to everyone that the FAs approach is inconsistent, hypocritical and generally not very good at dealing with the present set of problems surrounding race in football. Clearly massive progress has been made in some areas (i.e. crowd chanting) but much less/none in others. There is a danger that the FA and the Kick It Out campaign seem to feel that T-shirts and PR are all that is needed.

I remember when Patrick Vieira was fined by UEFA, for publicly saying that UEFA do nothing about racism.
Perhaps, Rio and Roberts are sick of there seemingly being no progress from the authorities regarding racism. Time for an independent regulatory body, with real powers? Not just for racism, but for all the instances of sexual assault, drink driving and other things that go on. Or should they solely be dealt with by the police?
The clubs involved seem to do nothing themselves.

[dom9]

John Barnes is on talksport in 15 mins

What did he say?

[paulg]

"Hullo Mates"

[BillobShaisley]

Good on Rio is what i say. He and his family have seen first hand what a joke Kick it out are. He has also put two fingers up to Bacon face by not wearing it after he called roberts all kinds for saying he wasn't wearing one either.

What has Kick It Out done wrong?

I can understand that you can always do more, I'm just not clear on how they have failed with regard to either the courts or FA's disciplinary panel process.

I can just about understand using this week and kick it out to make a point about wider society - that's not to say i'm entirely convinced that its a good idea - but that part of the message, if indeed that is the 'protest', seems to have been mised out of any of the reporting.

[dom9]

What has Kick It Out done wrong?

I can understand that you can always do more, I'm just not clear on how they have failed with regard to either the courts or FA's disciplinary panel process.

I can just about understand using this week and kick it out to make a point about wider society - that's not to say i'm entirely convinced that its a good idea - but that part of the message, if indeed that is the 'protest', seems to have been mised out of any of the reporting.

There was a good article by Rory Smith about it on the Times site.

The gist was that they are funded by the FA, Premier League and others (all of whom have been found short in dealing with this issue) and are seen as glorified cheerleaders with empty gestures (wear a t shirt, shout a slogan) and little practical impact. They are more interested in saying the right thing instead of doing something about people who are doing the wrong thing.

[Bender]

What did he say?

BBC
Former England star John Barnes says Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand should clarify his decision not to wear a Kick It Out T-shirt.

Ferdinand was one of 30 Premier League players not to wear an anti-racism T-shirt at the weekend, going against the wishes of manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"If [Rio is] brave enough to go against Ferguson, then he's brave enough to say who he is unhappy with," said Barnes.
"I can't see that [the players] are unhappy with Kick It Out."

Barnes, who suffered racial abuse during his playing career, believes footballers are taking their frustration out on the wrong body.
He told TalkSPORT: "They should target the right people. Kick it Out have no power to ban or fine people.

"If they are not happy with the ban that John Terry got, then it's the FA. They shouldn't target Kick It Out."

[Bender]

Uefa will ask John Terry to wear an anti-racism armband in Chelsea's match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Uefa, the governing body said: "The captains will be asked to wear a 'Unite Against Racism' branded armband."
The move is part of a week of action by European anti-racism body Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare).BBC

[Tee]

Genuine LOL

[Bender]

more like uefa will beg Terry

[TheElephantMan]

So now that Frankie Boyle has successfully sued the Mirror, presumably Suarez could do the same?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20033097

[Kenneth]

I don't see how.

[TheElephantMan]

The Mirror called Suarez a RACIST.