Sickening racists have no place here
Bartley opens up on ‘deepest cut’ of all
MARVIN Bartley is right to call out the idiots and thugs who still think it’s acceptable to go to the football on a Saturday and shout racist abuse.
The Queen of the South manager, one of Scotland’s best-known black football figures, has opened up about the experience of being targeted for his skin colour.
It’s heartbreaking to hear him say he would rather be physically assaulted or spat on than racially abused because of the deep pain it causes.
The fact that horrendous racial slurs can still sometimes be heard in football grounds and read on social media is a stain on football and wider society.
What runs through people’s heads who carry out such shocking, hateful abuse is anyone’s guess.
As Marvin points out, the culprits wouldn’t dream of speaking that way in the office on a Monday morning.
But it’s great to hear the former Hibs midfielder, who moved to Scotland in 2015, has had such a largely positive experience of the country.
We all know there is still some way to go to tackle racist attitudes in Scotland but we’ve undoubtedly made progress.
That Marvin has loved living here and encountered much less racism than he did in England is a testament to the way attitudes have changed – and how welcoming Scotland can be when at its very best.
But there is still work to do to ensure Scotland is a place that embraces people of all creeds and colours.
And there is something we can all do, every day. That is to call out racism wherever we see it – and let racists know their repugnant attitudes have no place in modern Scotland.
ONE of Scotland’s most prominent black football figures says he would rather be physically attacked than racially abused.
Queen of the South manager Marvin Bartley insists nothing is more harrowing than being targeted for his skin colour.
He said: “I would rather someone physically assault me or spit on me than racially abuse me. Personally, it is the most hurtful thing you can do to me. I can’t explain the pain you feel and it is a deep pain.
“At first it is like a cut, then the wound opens up and it becomes a scar that never goes away. I am proud of my skin colour and for someone to see that as a way to insult me is so offensive to me.”
Marvin was speaking at the launch of Make Scotland Great, a campaign to show the benefits migration has brought to Scotland.
Using education and sporting role models, the project, from Show Racism the Red Card, Migrant Voice and IMIX aims to challenge the myths surrounding migrants and celebrate the contribution made by those who have made Scotland their home.
There are 49 different nationalities playing in Scottish football and the nation’s health, hospitality and business sectors are dependent on migration.
Marvin, who became Queen of the South boss in January 2023, is the SPFL’s only black manager and said the “universal language” of sport was an ideal platform to change societal attitudes.
He said: “Football has come a long way but there is much further to go. Sometimes people put on the colours of their team and go to a stadium and think it’s OK to shout racist abuse. When they put their suit on a Monday morning and go to work, they would never think of saying those things in wider society. Sport is just one way to show how positive migration has been.”
A survey last year found a majority (59 per cent) of Scots believe immigration has had a positive impact.
The former Hibs, Bournemouth and Burnley midfielder moved to Scotland in 2015 and “fell in love” with it.
Marvin said: “Scotland is my home and the people have been so good to me. I love it here. Scotland is much less racist than England. I have been offered moves and just never considered it.”
But the 37-yearold has also experienced abuse, most memorably at Hibs when they won the Edinburgh derby in 2017. A troll on Twitter abused him with racial slurs including calling him a “spear chucker”.
He said: “We had just won and I was so happy. I read it on Twitter when we were in the dressing room.
“I could feel myself welling up. We were all planning to go out to celebrate. I went home. I couldn’t face it. My mother called me in tears. I can’t protect my family from that.”
Marvin stays “emotionally detached” from social media now but he believes people are being whipped up more than ever to fear immigration.
He said it was important, given his profile, to fight for shifts in attitudes.
He said: “This is my passion. I don’t want my legacy in Scotland to be about me as a manager or a player but that I was someone who came here and made a difference.”
scotland is much less racist than England. I love it here MARVIN BARTLEY PLANS TO STAY NORTH