Racism rears its ugly head – again
Abuse of black players has always been a horrifying phenomenon and alas it has just reared its ugly head again, with three Chelsea fans accused of racist abuse after the recent Manchester City game.
Raheem Sterling had every right to be outraged by the mindless abuse which he received and it made my mind go far back to Paul Canoville, the first black player ever to appear for Chelsea.
An outside-right of some promise, his life was made a misery by bigoted Chelsea fans, among them numerous neo-fascists and he did not stay long at the club.
When an old friend, Paul Elliott, who began at Charlton Athletic as a resourceful centre-half, left Pisa to play for Celtic he was assailed by torrents of abuse when playing at Celtic Park against Hearts – so much so that the Hearts captain nobly went over to his own supporters and begged them to stop. Many years ago I wrote a short story,
Black Magic, satirising the prejudice in a white coach. To my delight it was picked up after appearing in the old Evening
News by the West Indian paper, The Voice. It is amazing to consider that American baseball did not allow black players in its two senior leagues until after the second world war, and then only when a black war hero broke into a leading team did the doors at last open to black players, who have since excelled.
Reportedly, the finest pitcher in American baseball before the ban was lifted was one Satchel Paige. At least you could find black footballers at English clubs even before the first world war; prejudice not being given official status.
Note, however, that racism has lately been manifested by those jeering Everton supporters who assailed Watford’s Isaac Success at Goodison Park, pointing and yelling at him.
It was not so long ago that Liverpool supporters were reported to have followed black fans home and threatened them if they came to Anfield again.