Race and Ethnicity
Terry, Suárez and racism in football
Mixed reactions to racism verdict
The decision of the Football Association to hand Liverpool’s Luis Suárez an eight match ban and a £40,000 fine has been the comment of much social media ink since it was made. The decision was reached after the Uruguay striker clashed with Manchester United’s Patrice Evra during a game at Anfield on October 15.
Online reaction has varied. Quite a few, not least in Liverpool, have suggested that the charge was gone along with the pressure of Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. Others, like commentators in the Guardian have suggested that the FA have finally stood up to racism in football, despite the protestations of Sepp Blatter of FIFA that racism isn’t a problem in football.
Liverpool say they are surprised and disappointed by the result, not least that they argue no other evidence substantiated the Evra account.
This incident has been followed by the same range of comment on John Terry.
England captain John Terry will face a criminal charge of using racist language towards footballer Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League game.
Mr Terry is alleged to have used racist language towards the 26-year-old Queens Park Rangers player during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat at Loftus Road on 23 October.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Mr Terry was accused of a racially aggravated public order offence.
The 31-year-old vowed to fight the charge “tooth and nail”.
Football is no stranger to racism.The FA have no alternative but to take the matter seriously. Campaigns such as Show Racism the Red Card have long argued of the need for the clubs to address racism on and off the field.
The Suarez case and now Terry highlight that race remains a major issue in wider society. Yet government cuts have reduced the ability of many local communities to tackle the issue. Much more is needed in football and outside to tackle prejudice and discrimination – not least in also dealing with homophobia. Our national sport should be at the forefront of anti-discrimination work not in a backwater of bigotry.
Dr Donald Macaskill
Source : BBC News
Comment
Lee
December 21, 2011 at 1:25 pmI can’t remember who Suárez abused; but whoever he is he’ll be earning a lot of money. I’m disabled and receive regular, almost weekly, cruel and offensive verbal abuse, and occasionally physical attacks; yet I’m living on benefits and unable to fully participate in society.
Let’s get things in proportion and not get our knickers in a twist over a petty case of name-calling.