Is Raheem Sterling’s tattoo a Non-League problem too?
Ian Bates, Wembley FC manager, whose ground is two miles from where Sterling grew up: “It’s his body and it is up to him what he does with it. But there’s nothing I could say to a young player who came in with a tattoo of a gun on his leg.
“There’s no justification for it unless you’re a gun enthusiast. I’m not sure if Raheem is. He was brought up with MTV and is from areas near our club like Brent and Stonebridge, where he’ll have had contact with guns.
“It can be glamorised and normalised like that. Twenty years ago no one would have batted an eyelid, no one would even have known you had a tattoo. If you’re in the public eye now, it’s all broadcast on social media.
“I’ve seen kids who put ‘semi-professional footballer’ in their Twitter bio that wouldn’t have got into a reserve team a few years ago. I think he knew what was going to happen when he posted it.”
Paul Palmer, Southall FC manager:
“I can see why people are getting het up about it. There’s a lot of gun crime out there at the moment, particularly in London.
“For Raheem, though, it’s a personal thing. I don’t think he’s using his position in society to justify guns and I think we have to be careful when we go down the road of footballers being representatives of society.
“If it was one of my players, I’d sit them down and ask about their reasons – I think it can be justified.
Craig Eastmond, Sutton United midfielder:
“I’m surprised he’s had to come out and justify what he’s done. Raheem is in the public eye, but it’s demeaning to him to jump to conclusions about a tattoo that isn’t even finished. I don’t think it’s acceptable to say he’s endorsing gun crime.
“There’s an argument that this has all kicked off because it’s Raheem and because he’s been in trouble before, but I think it could be anyone really.”
Jim Gannon, Stockport County manager:
“If his reason for it is renouncing gun violence, then I think it’s positive.
You’ve got to treat people as individuals and respect their personal space, as long as it’s not illegal to say what they say. I find the whole thing a bit strange, really, talking about a young man getting a tattoo.
“It seems a strange way to bring an end to gun violence.”