I got racial abuse when I was 15, yet it’s still happening now and I am 30
Rose tired of waiting for change on and off pitch
DANNY ROSE has opened up about his battle with racism and revealed he has been suffering discrimination for half his life.
The England and Tottenham defender admits he first experienced it on a pitch at the age of 15 alongside his good friend Fabian Delph – and that it became so common it felt like the norm.
In an emotional interview, the 30-year-old admits he fears the problem might never be eradicated from society.
Rose, speaking to the Second Captains podcast, said: “It happens on a football pitch, but that first happened to me and Delph when we were playing for Leeds and we were only 15.
“He had been called a black ‘b ****** ’ on the pitch and so yes, since then, that’s what we know. I’m used to it, that’s not saying it doesn’t still hurt, but how I then go on about my day after that is that it’s happened and I move on and ‘who do we play next?’
“It’s still happening now I’m 30. So 15 years of this on and off the field happening and there’s no change whatsoever.”
Rose was the victim of sickening racist abuse during an England game in Montenegro in 2019, leading him to admit he could not wait to retire so he did not have to put up with it any longer.
Football has supported the Black Lives Matter movement this season, with players and officials taking the knee as the sport looks to play a big role in the campaign to end racism. Although steps have been taken since those days with Delph, below, 15 years ago, Rose believes football is still inherently racist without even realising it.
He said: “There is so, so, so much more that needs to be done. I have played at Sunderland, Tottenham, Newcastle, Bristol City, Peterborough, Watford and Leeds United and
I don’t remember a black person working upstairs at these clubs. There has to be a change and going away from that you just need to look at the amount of black managers in football.”
Rose was also the victim of discrimination during a recent train journey.
He revealed: “I got on with my bags and the attendant said ‘Do you know this is first class?’ I say ‘yeah, so what?’. They ask to see my ticket and I show the lady it and two white people walk on after me and she says nothing. I asked, ‘Are you not going to ask for their tickets?’ and she just said, ‘Ah no, I don’t need to’. To me, that’s racism. These are the things I have to put up with, being asked: if I know this is first class and to show my ticket. This is everyday life for me but I feel embarrassed to even bring it up. “Whenever I say things or complain, you do hear people say, ‘Well you’re on this money so just get on with it’.
“I just give up hoping that things will change – because that’s some people’s mentality towards racism.”