Ramage is sacked for ‘black lads’ comment

Former Derby County player Craig Ramage was last night sacked by the BBC after sparking a race row by criticising the Championship club’s “young black lads” on a local radio station.

The BBC last night said it would “no longer be working” with Ramage, 49, following the pundit’s comments after the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town, with defender Max Lowe admitting his shock in a statement on his Instagram account.

A former midfielder for Derby, Ramage made the remarks in the post-match Sportscene show on BBC Radio Derby. He said: “When I look at certain players, their body language, their stance, the way they act, you just feel, hold on a minute, he needs pulling down a peg or two.

“So I’d probably say that about all the young black lads, all the young advice if they wanted it that, you know, it’s about, when you are struggling for form, you are going through a sticky patch, it’s about going back to basics, working hard, and doing the right things.”

Lowe did not play in the draw against Huddersfield, but yesterday afternoon posted on his Instagram account: “As a young black footballer making my way in the game, I was shocked by comments made by one of the analysts on BBC Radio Derby’s Sportscene programme after our 1-1 draw with Huddersfield.

“Racial ignorance, stereotyping and intolerance negatively affects the image of impressionable young footballers and creates an unnecessary divide in society.”

A Derby statement said: “We take comments like these extremely seriously, we do not tolerate them, and stand together as one with all our players.”

Ramage last night tweeted: “I wish to apologise unreservedly for a comment that I made after yesterday’s game. What I said was wholly inappropriate and unintentional.”