My last post was entitled racism and was supposedly not about sport. In light of yesterday and today’s events it seems racism in sport is the only issue that can be rambled on about; as Luis Suarez is banned for 8 games for racial abuse, John Terry is summoned to magistrates to answer such charges and Alan Hansen has this very second just done a massive whoopsy on MOTD #gobsmacked.
I read Tim Vickery’s blog on the Suarez incident on the BBC earlier, and as much as I respect he tried to put a South American viewpoint on the matter, I felt he glossed over the issue. If the FA have handed out a definitive ban, a stern ban, a lengthy ban of 8 matches then there is surely conclusive proof Suarez has offended Patrice Evra using a racial slur. I understand the cultural argument I really do; in Uruguay perhaps what he said is not considered a racial slur, offensive or unpleasant. The fact is he did offend Patrice Evra and to protect the game from the ugly dog of racism rearing its head again I believe Suarez has been punished so severely in order to show a solidarity amongst the FA that racism will be dealt with zero tolerance.
Therefore, how hypocritical will it be, if in the midst of defending himself against a criminal charge for racist behaviour in February; John Terry pulls on an England shirt and then decorates it with the captains’ armband. The very armband he was re-awarded after it was stripped from injury prone Rio Ferdinand, brother of the man, Anton Ferdinand, that Terry racially abused. You could not write this stuff, which is what makes it upsettingly ludicrous. Let’s also not forget that John Terry originally had the armband stripped from him because he slept with the wife of a team-mate for club and country, I mean has the world gone completely barking mad. What type of role model, example or precedent does this give to young kids growing up? That it’s ok to be lewd and indecent in relationships, call people black cunts and then never apologise for it because if you are talented enough everyone will let you off the hook. It makes me feel sick. We have all seen the TV footage; we know what John Terry says so let’s not play the innocent till proven guilty bullshit card because it doesn’t wash with me. It gets firmly stuck in the back of my throat that there seems to be an overwhelming rush to brush this under some sort of everything’s hunky dory carpet. I understand that racism in football is nowhere near where it was 20-30 years ago and thank heavens because there are similar problems like that still across Europe. Oh, and before you conjure up stereotypical views of monkey chants and banana slinging in Eastern Europe I'm also referring to countries such as Spain and Italy, football’s last two world champions where abuse appears to be far worse than over here.
Tonight Liverpool FC players took to the pitch wearing shirts in support of Luis Suarez, an act that I cannot fully believe actually happened. I understand they want to show support for their friend, but he has been charged with racist abuse. Charged, guilty, of racially abusing a human being. How can you go and do such a thing in this day and age is the worst kind of racism. Its ignorance at its most prominent, institutional, shameless and unabashed. I have never felt more embarrassed to watch an episode of MOTD. Oh but wait, Alan Hansen then goes on to refer to black players in the Premier League as ‘coloured’. I am not saying Alan Hansen is an overt racist who hates black people and wants them all out the game etc. What I am saying is that there are some people in the football world who seem to be so out of touch they feel a term such as coloured is still acceptable terminology for black people.
I wish there was no term to categorise people based on the pigmentation of their skin, I just wished we all referred to each other as human beings, I mean we all are aren’t we. But in the meantime, until my raceless utopia is achieved let’s stick to what is correct and what isn’t. I was almost expecting it to be a joke and was waiting for Lee Dixon to refer to somebody as half cast. That’s the point; it’s laughable that everybody, even Sepp Blatter, seem to think there isn’t a problem. When there is quite obviously, clearly and categorically a problem.
Less of a ramble more of a rant.
The worlds going mad.
Ramble On
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