Football must unite for a common goal
IT WAS the moment boys became men. Derided ceaselessly in the past (and I have to confess to joining in at times) for being a bunch of overpaid, over-pampered sportsmen often relying on others to carry their own kit from the coach to the changing room and accused of having their brains solely in their boots, the way in which England’s football players responded to the vile racist behaviour to which they were subjected last week made you proud to be British.
From the outset the stewardship and support from manager Gareth Southgate were impeccable. It is, apparently, well known in footballing circles that Southgate is a highly intelligent man, but it was his innate Englishness that shone through on that dark night in Sofia.
He was calm yet forceful and while he made plain his level of disgust at what he was witnessing, he kept his temper constantly under control. He showed he was ready to discuss the issue with anyone, but equally there was a line he would not be crossing and no mealy-mouthed attempt at compromise would be accepted.
To the list of jobs that come the way of the England team manager, such as motivator, tactician, disciplinarian and coach, you can on this occasion add supreme diplomat.as a brief aside, is it so wrong to wish that quite a few of our current crop of politicians showed just some of the same character?
However, it’s also worth remembering that while Mr Southgate is 49, many of the players under him are in their 20s and that is what makes their behaviour even more impressive. In a heartbeat they went from being players who can crash to the ground as if they’ve been picked off by a sniper at the mere touch of an opponent, to being thoughtful ambassadors.
The constant snarling, sometime spitting and regular play-acting was replaced with a cool, steely resolve.
To see the white players gather round their non-white teammates and embrace them and clearly instantly tune into their plight gladdened the heart.
Another rousing cheer should go to the fans, who were immediately behind “our lads”. As they chanted the name of each and every player without a white face, followed by one of the most famous lines from the terrace, “He’s one of our own”, it made the skin tingle with pride.
This was a clear message to the vile racists trapped in a spiral of age-old hate and prejudice. The fans, again so often dismissed as knuckledragging, Neanderthals, also became heroes.
Before we suggest everyone involved should be picking up diplomas in racial harmony, it has to be acknowledged that football in this country does have a problem to resolve – witness the scenes as alleged abuse was hurled at Haringey Borough players in their match against Yeovil ■
HUMOURLESS and out-of-touch Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was shown to be the grumpy curmudgeon we have all expected him to be last week. Shambling in a recalcitrant fashion as if he were a naughty fourth-form schoolboy on the way to double detention, he accompanied Prime Minister Boris Johnson to hear the Queen address the State
Opening of Parliament.
As Johnson valiantly tried to make amiable conversation in strained circumstances, Corbyn appeared to issue virtual one-word responses. How utterly immature. Many of us have had to be with former spouses at weddings, c hristenings or other family events, and we seek to make a fist of it for all concerned.
Corbyn was beyond puerile... yesterday. But there is one glaring difference. The authorities here have faced up to it. Regrettably, the same cannot be said of UEFA, the European football governing body. The ugliness of racism from parts of Eastern Europe has been evident for nearly 20 years, and yet this lacklustre body of apologists has dodged the tackle on every occasion.
The list detailing the times that UEFA, or the other ruling body FIFA, has failed to take meaningful action appears endless. In 2002 Slovakia were fined just £9,000 following racist chants directed at black players in a match against England. The next year it was Macedonia’s turn to be fined only £16,500 for similar offences.
Other pitifully paltry fines include £16,500 for the same inexcusable behaviour from Serbian fans in 2007, and £15,000 when black striker Emile Heskey was singled out for monkey chants in Croatia in 2008.
Shamefully, UEFA points to the protocol deployed last week in Bulgaria that effectively gives fans three chances to stop the errant behaviour, as the referee can issue a series of warnings. But ask yourself this: if you slated a non-white workmate or neighbour with racist abuse, would you expect “three chances?” Precisely. This must be the time to kick-off the crackdown.