Ban that makes the FA look good

It Is not just our Football Association that gets the important stuff wrong.

In the third game of the 2017 World series, Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros hit a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish. He celebrated by pulling a slant- eye gesture at Darvish and repeated the word ‘ chinito’ — meaning ‘little Chinese boy’ in spanish. Darvish is of Japanese-Iranian origin.

Caught on camera, a storm blew up. It was thought Gurriel could miss at least one of the four games remaining in the series. Instead, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced he would serve a five-match ban with no pay, but not until next season, starting in March. It was thought a ban in the World series would be disproportionate.

It would certainly have been severe — but would at least have made plain the distaste for racism. As the regular baseball schedule is 162 matches long, five matches is not much greater than a one-game ban in the Premier League. Even if the Astros lost all five without Gurriel next year it would not make much difference.

the New York Yankees were beaten 71 times in this regular season, and still reached the play-offs. the LA Dodgers had the best record of any franchise and it included 58 defeats. As Gurriel offended during a World series, that is when he should have served his ban.

Instead he has continued playing for the Astros and on sunday night featured in an epic 13-12 victory over the Dodgers, to give Houston a 3-2 series lead. Win one more game and Gurriel will be on a victory podium beside his team-mates, celebrating the greatest accolade in his sport. What a message that would send.

Incredibly, America seems considerably less vexed by this than it does black players taking a knee before NFL matches in acts of legitimate, peaceful protest.