Fortune lauds sacrifices of soccer pioneer Johanneson
FORMER Manchester United star Quinton Fortune paid a moving tribute to the great Albert Johanneson, acknowledging the former Leeds United winger’s role in paving the way for footballers like him to forge a successful career in England.
Fortune, pictured right, was a guest at yesterday’s official launch at the District Six Museum of a comic book relating the inspirational yet tragic life of Johanneson – the South African who was the first black footballer to play in an FA Cup final, when he turned out for Leeds against Liverpool in 1965.
The 24-page comic is the tale of how Johanneson, born in Germiston, made it all the way to England during the dark days of apartheid, the difficulties he faced with racist abuse on and off the field and how, ultimately, his life and career were destroyed by alcohol and drugs.
Fortune, who left Cape Town at the age of 14, to make a career on the big European football stage, revealed what his initial perception of Johanneson, pictured right, was and how, afterwards, he got to know the real story.
“When I first got to England, there were all these negative perceptions of Mr Johanneson, especially about how he passed away… but one day I was walking around in the Manchester Football Museum and there was this picture of him, with the words that he was (the) first black footballer to play in an FA Cup final. When I saw that he was South African, I thought ‘Wow”… because I could relate to so many of the things that he went through, in moving away from home and the hardships that that entail.
“But, along with the picture of Mr Johanneson, there was also a letter from two gentlemen, who were fans of his… in the letter, they spoke about (how) they had never seen anybody play like him. They spoke about the proud way he carried himself, in spite of the racial abuse he got from fans, sometimes even his own Leeds supporters…
“It made me feel proud. And I realised that it was because of the sacrifice of someone like Mr Johanneson that I was able to play overseas. He paved the way for us to be able to follow in his footsteps and become successful players in England. For that, I will always be grateful.”
Fortune spoke about leaving his family at the age of 14 and how he overcome the difficulties.
“I guess I was lucky, in that when I left (in 1991), things were changing,” he said. “My life changed drastically… but I always used the information and the values taught to me by my family and it helped me so much. The simple things, for me, was always important, like ‘asseblief ’ and ‘dankie’ (please and thank you) and that was respect, which carried me throughout my career.
“With this as background, I believe that players that went before, like Mr Johanneson, should be honoured a lot more than they are.”
It is envisaged that the comic on Johanneson’s life and career, a venture between the District Six Museum and the Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) organisation, based in Sheffield, UK, will provide not only inspiration for today’s young players, but also act as a history lesson to illustrate what talented SA footballers had to go through in the past.
The artwork for the comic was developed by Cape Town illustrator, Archie Birch.
Safa-CT president Norman Arendse was also present, saying: “Albert Johanneson inspired us… he represented that quality in our communities, that when given opportunities and access, we can achieve our true potential.”