Racism in football continues to disfigure the beautiful game. This issue has exploded once again onto the front pages of the British press.
Some find it unimaginable that this problem still exists in 2012 but it is clear that the attitudes within football replicate the views that are still held by some members of our society.
This is not just a British phenomenon. In this weekend’s Barcelona derby, Ramon Condal, President of RCD Espanyol, had the audacity to praise his fans for their public order after sections of the Cornell El Prat racially abused Dani Alves. These same fans have been known to racially abuse their own goal keeper Carlos Kameni.
To return to events tarnishing the reputation of the British game, the past few months have been an eye opener. The whole Luis Suarez affair has left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth. This saga has been dragging on for months now and seems destined to continue as the Scousers and the Mancs have been drawn against each other in the 4th round of the FA Cup.
There is also the possibility of Suarez making his return from suspension against none other than Manchester United at Old Trafford. Whether his use of a racial epithet makes him into a racist is not up for debate. The FA report clearly states what Suarez said and, even more importantly, the context in which he said it.
Very simply put, what Suarez said was wrong and he deserves to be punished for what was uttered in that crowded penalty area. That unfortunately is only half of the story. The support he has received from his club, manager and, to some extent, the Liverpool fans is equally disturbing. Where does the line between support for your own player and stubborn belligerence get crossed?
The Luis Suarez dedication t-shirts are not only distasteful but also disrespectful to the fight against racism in football. How can a club permit shirts supporting a player who has been found guilty of racially offensive language towards another player and still claim to be committed to the eradication of racism from the game?
One wonders what Liverpool would have done if Glen Johnson had been found guilty of a similar charge directed at a white player. Would there have been the shirts, the constant backing from the manager and the die-hard support from the fans?
One can only hope that the Liverpool fans sing his name for his elusive movement, tantalising skills and devastating finishing ability and not for the moment of madness that Suarez and all of us wish had never happened. We must not let football tribalism blind us to issues that go much deeper than the beautiful game that we all love so much.
Even further tarnishing the image of British football is the news that John Terry has been charged by the police with a racially aggravated public order. Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London, states that ‘there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public order to prosecute this case.’
The implications of the captain of England being charged with an offense such as this are far reaching. We must remember that simply being charged with an offense absolutely does not amount to guilt and until legal proceedings have been completed, we cannot comment on the particulars of this case as they are yet unknown.
However the possibility of Terry being allowed to continue as England captain if he is convicted of this charge is unthinkable. In the public interest, the position of England captain cannot be held by someone guilty of this type of crime. This would be the second time that Terry had been stripped of the England captaincy and would surely mark the end of the Chelsea stalwart’s international career.
The racial abuse has even occurred off the pitch with former Liverpool striker and current Talksport presenter Stan Collymore being subjected to a number of highly offensives messages on Twitter. Arrests have been made in this case but the fact that the abuse has now gone virtual shows the extent of the problem. Why do people abuse a presenter who is only trying to highlight a problem within our game and thus improve it for everyone that plays it?
Collymore himself has said that the support that he has received has outweighs the abuse of which he has been a victim. Football has a way of uniting people of widely diverse backgrounds; yet clearly it seems to bring the worst out of individuals as well.
We can never let this negative minority overshadow the positive that football has done for us all.
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