Crouch’s big challenge...to rescue a club and save the beautiful game
FOOTBALL icon Peter Crouch is returning to one of his first clubs to try to turn around its fortunes, and is using the opportunity as a platform to tackle the scourge of online hate.
The former England striker is fronting a new show for Discovery+, Save Our Beautiful Game, hoping to rid clubs of racism and hate speech.
“It’s social media where we have the big problem,” he said. “I haven’t heard a lot of it [racism] at actual games, but on social media it can be a really nasty place, where people feel like they can say whatever they choose.we saw it in the Euros and it needs to be stamped out. I can’t believe we’re still talking about it.
“Surely there needs to be accountability for the platforms. It’s the only way. For everything, you need an ID – you can’t even log into a [public] wi-fi without giving your email address, so how can you log on to Instagram and Twitter with a fake account? It doesn’t make sense.”
Crouch, 40, is back at Dulwich Hamlet in south London, where he played on loan for six matches.
He is using his new coaching badge and has also joined the board as a director. “It’s the first proper job in my life really. It’s quite bold, but of course you’ve got people whose life depends on it.
“For a lot of the community and a lot of people, Dulwich [Hamlet] is their life. It can’t be taken lightly and although we’re filming it, we have got it right. It’s people’s passion – it’s their club.”
While famous for his podcasts and punditry, he admits this is “serious”: “This means a lot and I want to get it right.you might see a different side to me but I’m still going to have a laugh. It’s still me.”
And while there is plenty to be done at Dulwich, including the lack of a training ground, he said: “I would not feel comfortable taking my wife and kids to many grounds.
“But it’s different here.there’s transgender people, there’s no homophobia, they’re totally anti it.
“It is a forward-thinking club and potentially the future of football.”
Peter Crouch: Save Our Beautiful Game, Discovery+ from Tuesday
‘This club is their passion’