Racism needs to be kicked out. It’s embarrassing and unacceptable

SCOTT SINCLAIR FIRES BACK OVER ABUSE

SCOTT SINCLAIR is the most even-tempered, genial footballer you could ever wish to meet. A fleet-footed winger who rarely commits a foul, far less indulge in a wind-up, he is an unlikely candidate to inspire anger among rival supporters.

And yet the sad truth is that the colour of the Celtic winger’s skin continues to make him a target for a hate-filled minority.

The 29-year-old is not renowned as the most expansive of interviewees but bring up the subject of racism and there is a marked change in his demeanour.

The natural smile fades, the eyes focus and the words start to tumble from his mouth at an increased rate.

‘It’s unacceptable, not just in football or sport but in society,’ he states. ‘I think it needs to be kicked out. It needs to stop and be shown as unacceptable to use racial slurs or abuse the ethnicity of players.’

Around Scotland’s football stadia there has been a sense that antisocial behaviour is on the rise, with the SPFL and Police Scotland issuing a joint statement last week urging supporters to take personal responsibility ahead of a packed festive fixture card.

Racism is just part of the picture, with sectarian abuse, coin-throwing and the sight of unnecessary pyrotechnics a depressingly common sideshow to what has otherwise been a quite thrilling season of Scottish football.

It’s the issue of racial abuse that most specifically concerns Sinclair and he acknowledges that footballers are feeling more inclined to speak out, as evidenced by Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling’s comments in the wake of similar abuse in a match against Chelsea.

Earlier this month Sinclair posted a video on social media highlighting an Aberdeen fan calling him a ‘f **** ing black b ****** ’ as he ran up to take a penalty in the Betfred Cup Final. Writing on his Twitter account, he later stated: ‘Absolute disgrace for the ignorance of the uneducated fan shouting racial abuse.’

Since joining Celtic in the summer of 2016, Sinclair has been the victim of two other high-profile instances of racial abuse. At Ibrox in April 2017, Rangers fan Paul Kenny was pictured making racial gestures as Sinclair converted a penalty in a Celtic victory. Kenny later admitted the offence in court.

Also in 2017, Robert Anderson was convicted after filming himself chanting a racial slur at Sinclair in a Glasgow pub.

Sinclair acknowledges that, in the past, there has been a tendency to sweep such incidents under the carpet.

Celtic travel to face Aberdeen and Rangers in the club’s final two fixtures of the year and, against the backdrop of the authorities’ statement, he was more than willing to pick up the theme.

‘I think there’s definitely more light to it now, even with Raheem experiencing it down south and speaking out,’ he continued.

‘People are hopefully taking more note of the situation. In the past players might have been racially abused and thought: “Never mind, I’m not going to say anything because nothing gets done”.

‘But hopefully as things start being done, we can move forward into a more positive light.’

Speaking specifically of his own decision to highlight the cup final footage, he continued: ‘I was flicking through social media and came across it.

‘It’s one of those things that shouldn’t be happening. It’s 2018. When I tweeted I called them uneducated and that’s what they are.

‘This is what I don’t understand — they have black players in their team, so it’s very confusing. Why would someone use that sort of slur towards black players?

‘It is embarrassing. It’s not acceptable for anyone in society to even think they can use that sort of language whether they are at a football game or in the street.

‘But it’s always around and it’s such a shame to keep hearing these racial slurs.

‘I’ve had a lot of support from all sides, all sorts of fans. They know that it’s wrong.’

We can only hope that those who would abuse Sinclair for his skin colour, castigate the Aberdeen manager for his perceived religious affiliation or mock the absent Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths for his personal issues pay some heed.

Sinclair accepts that Celtic will find the atmosphere hostile at both Ibrox and Pittodrie over the next few days and admits he learned to shut out the noise from the sidelines a long time ago.

Brendan Rodgers’ side have reserved some of their best performances over the last three seasons for these venues and, indeed, can boast a 100 per cent record at each ground.

Next Saturday offers something a little different thanks to Rangers’ decision to cut Celtic’s usual away ticket allocation covering the entire Broomloan Stand to a pocket of 800 seats in the adjacent corner.

‘I’m experienced now,’ Sinclair insists. ‘I have been in the game for what seems like a long time now.

‘You go and enjoy the occasion. These are great days for the fans. The atmosphere is always great at Aberdeen, it’s always loud, especially with our fans.

‘It’s such a shame that our fans won’t be there in the same numbers at Ibrox.

‘Normally we have seven or eight thousand and now it’s seven or eight hundred. But that’s the way it is. You just blank that out and get on with it.

‘We’ve just got to get on with it, go out there and make sure we win.

‘All the players look forward to these games and raise it. But we have pressure going into every game, because all the teams want to beat us.’

Crowned Scotland’s Player of the Year as Celtic clinched an unbeaten domestic Treble during his first season, Sinclair’s form shaded last term but he has been a steady

‘I HAVE HAD LOTS OF SUPPORT FROM ALL SIDES, ALL SORTS OF FANS. THEY KNOW THAT IT’S WRONG’

contributor this season and one on whom Rodgers has had to rely during an injury-hit period.

The £3.5million signing from Aston Villa has chipped in with important winning goals against Rosenborg and Aberdeen along the course of a season which he admits is offering a greater challenge this year.

‘There is definitely more competition this season,’ he adds. ‘Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, these are tough teams to play.

‘We want to win every game. Rangers or Dundee, it’s the same. That’s why we’ve become champions — we don’t worry about anyone else and expect high standards of ourselves.’

The Boxing Day clash at Aberdeen will necessitate a Christmas Day training session followed by a drive north.

Sinclair admits he will miss spending the evening with his fiancée Helen and daughters Matilda and Delilah but, once the dust settles on next weekend’s derby, he will gather the family for a holiday in Dubai that will merge with the squad’s training camp.

‘We’ll spend Christmas morning with our families then we will have to train in the afternoon and travel up to Aberdeen,’ says Sinclair. ‘It’s not ideal but we have the winter break coming up, so we will spend time with our families then.

‘It’s difficult but I’ve trained on Christmas Day for God knows how many years and you just get used to it.

‘You just manage. It’s all about balance. You have to play football and be professional. You come home and you have family life.

‘I’ll take the family out to Dubai, my parents too, we’ll have a nice break and come back ready for the second part of the season.’

As we enter this most exciting of weeks, let’s all hope that Sinclair is allowed to do his job without interference from those who trade in hatred.