Is Racism Really the Problem in Football?
Discussion
Ian Wright has recently broadcast a message which singles out a group of Leicester fans after he and Roy Keane were subjected to some abuse during the Community Shield.
I think this is one good way to tackle the problem of wayward fans. Out them.
In this instance, Keane was called an Irish C-word (and Wrighty was called something too but not clear what that was). Is this not more about ignorant, uneducated, uncultured idiots who should be outed/banned/shamed etc? This would be the type of idiot that calls a player fat/ginger/wife-beater/drug-taker/gay/whatever. Calling an Irish player (or former player) a c-word is the aim and to a point you can understand that it is an over zealous tribalist slur (an unacceptable one nonetheless) and no different to someone being called a <insert skin colour> c-word. Yet we are seeing today that black players are the subject of unacceptable behaviour - hatred - in football. What about others?
Is racism really the issue?
Hatred is everywhere but in a football context, entering a stadium seems to give some fans license to act and behave in a way they probably wouldn't as much out in the open. You can bet your balls that any close up of fans on the telly will show at least one idiot with the look of hate on his face as he shouts something doing the Gareth Hunt coffee beans shake. It's inflammatory regardless of what he says, whether that be under the BLM heading, LGBT, gingerist, fattist or whatever can deliver his hatred best (in his mind).
I've been at games where 16 year-olds have been sat together and it didn't take long for them to start on the referee, or an opposition player. What they said didn't matter so much, it was just unacceptable behaviour. If I had my way, I'd have frogmarched them out. I think football authorities could, or should look at ways to get a message out that there is a zero tolerance policy and anyone seen to be inciting hatred will be ejected or banned from re-attending.
Yes, black players do get abused but they're not alone. I've heard abuse being thrown at European players, ginger-haired players, Scottish, Welsh... Jewish, Asian... Anyone on the opposition in any way they can.
Is racism the real issue here?
I think this is one good way to tackle the problem of wayward fans. Out them.
In this instance, Keane was called an Irish C-word (and Wrighty was called something too but not clear what that was). Is this not more about ignorant, uneducated, uncultured idiots who should be outed/banned/shamed etc? This would be the type of idiot that calls a player fat/ginger/wife-beater/drug-taker/gay/whatever. Calling an Irish player (or former player) a c-word is the aim and to a point you can understand that it is an over zealous tribalist slur (an unacceptable one nonetheless) and no different to someone being called a <insert skin colour> c-word. Yet we are seeing today that black players are the subject of unacceptable behaviour - hatred - in football. What about others?
Is racism really the issue?
Hatred is everywhere but in a football context, entering a stadium seems to give some fans license to act and behave in a way they probably wouldn't as much out in the open. You can bet your balls that any close up of fans on the telly will show at least one idiot with the look of hate on his face as he shouts something doing the Gareth Hunt coffee beans shake. It's inflammatory regardless of what he says, whether that be under the BLM heading, LGBT, gingerist, fattist or whatever can deliver his hatred best (in his mind).
I've been at games where 16 year-olds have been sat together and it didn't take long for them to start on the referee, or an opposition player. What they said didn't matter so much, it was just unacceptable behaviour. If I had my way, I'd have frogmarched them out. I think football authorities could, or should look at ways to get a message out that there is a zero tolerance policy and anyone seen to be inciting hatred will be ejected or banned from re-attending.
Yes, black players do get abused but they're not alone. I've heard abuse being thrown at European players, ginger-haired players, Scottish, Welsh... Jewish, Asian... Anyone on the opposition in any way they can.
Is racism the real issue here?
I was at a Man Utd game in the opposition end and a guy in front, when Utd were at the other end of the field and not much was going on, just randomly stood up and shouted 'You northern c****s!!'
Absolutely bizarre behaviour that simply seems to be the norm in footy. Any differences some fans can find will be used to abuse.
Absolutely bizarre behaviour that simply seems to be the norm in footy. Any differences some fans can find will be used to abuse.
Isn't taking a whole group of people, defining them by and constantly telling them to atone for the transgressions of its most undesirable elements... Kind of what racism does?
What's wrong with the entire modern movements today is they're obsessed with guiltily declaring "we're all racist" and not defiantly declaring "we're not racist"
Speak for yourselves.
What's wrong with the entire modern movements today is they're obsessed with guiltily declaring "we're all racist" and not defiantly declaring "we're not racist"
Speak for yourselves.
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