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Strachan faces axe from Sky as fury grows over sex offender comments
GORDON STRACHAN’S television career is under threat after a furious backlash following comments he made comparing convicted sex offender Adam Johnson with black players who have faced racial abuse.
Sky Sports will hold talks with the former Scotland manager, 62, before deciding whether he should appear on t heir programming again after his recent controversial appearance as a guest on The Debate.
In it, Strachan said about a potential comeback for Johnson, who has recently been released from jail for sexual activity with a 15-year-old: ‘If he goes on to the pitch and people start calling him names, have we got to do the same as it is to the racist situation? Is it all right to call him names now after doing his three years — have we got to allow that to happen?’ A number of prominent black footballers and anti-racism campaigners have joined in condemnation of Strachan’s comments, with Troy Townsend of Kick it Out describing his “despair”.
Townsend, father of Crystal Palace and England wing er Andros, tweeted yesterday: ‘That’s the problem when you keep giving [air-time] to those whose sellby date long gone. This is where education is needed. I despair.’
Former Reading and Middlesbrough striker Leroy Lita shared video footage
of Strachan’s intervention and added: ‘He really compared racism with paedophilia. F*****g disgrace.’
Other fans have also taken to social media to express outrage. Some compared Strachan to Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci who last week partly blamed team-mate Moise Kean after he suffered racist abuse against Cagliari. A fortnight ago, England players were subject to monkey chants in Montenegro, which led to Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose speaking out. And even yesterday there were two incidents of racism, with Brentford confirming a fans was arrested for racially abusing Derby midfielder Duane Holmes, while Wigan are ‘angered’ by an abusive message sent to defender Nathan Byrne on Twitter after a 2-2 draw with Bristol City.
Aware of the growing anger towards Strachan’s appearance, a Sky Sports spokesman said last night: ‘Of course Sky Sports does not support the comments and we’re sorry for the offence they have caused.’
Strachan was last night said to be ‘catching his breath and working out his next option’ with show insiders believing the discussion of racism in the first half of the show had prompted him to mention it during a later segment about Johnson.
Strachan was one of the most popular midfield players of his generation in the 1980s and early 90s, winning trophies for for Aberdeen, Manchester United and Leeds.
He later managed Coventry, Southampton, Celtic and Middlesbrough. He left his last job with the Scotland national team in 2017 and has done television work since.
Yesterday, the Met Police’s Twitter account for Brentford games tweeted following the club’s 3-3 draw at home against Derby that a fan had been arrested. ‘In response to rumour tweets, one male was arrested in the home end today for a racially aggravated offence against a Derby player. The male is currently in custody and an investigation is ongoing,’ they said in a statement on social media.
Derby manager Frank Lampard added: ‘Duane Holmes complained that he was racially abused. I didn’t see it, I was facing play.
‘A fan came out to him at the dugout, at the side and abused him. It was reported.
‘The police have someone, that’s all the detail I know.’