Racism, Football & Raheem Sterling: Where Do We Go From Here?
By Howard Hockin | 15 October 2019(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty)
It was a night when we forget about the football, England defeating Bulgaria 6-0 to inch closer to qualification for the Euro finals next summer. A night when England lead 4-0 at half-time but ITV don’t even show any goal highlights during the break in play. When analysing whether Raheem Sterling could have done better with a 2nd half miss seems rather pointless, because it is commendable he found the strength to carry on playing at all. A night that shamed football and a night when certain journalists jostled for the hottest take from a depressing night. But perhaps a pivotal night, and one that will change how football deals with one of its greatest problems.
You will of course know by now what happened during the Bulgaria v England match. The only issue is to process what occurred. To decide what happens in future to protect those that bear the brunt of such incidents. It was a night that was predicted, feared, and was in a way almost inevitable. For the organised group clad in black hoodies, discussing potential problems in the lead up to the match was simply like a red rag to a bull. As if they care about perceptions or criticism. This was an opportunity for notoriety. I understand too the defensiveness of the Bulgarian FA this week, even if I have no desire to defend it. No one likes to be criticised like they have this week, and the reaction was understandable. Like City fans accused of ruining the minute’s silence at Old Trafford in 2008 before the day had even arrived, it brings out a certain reaction. The difference is, the accusations towards the Bulgarian FA had merit, unlike the accusations of 11 years ago. Their responses after the match proved this, a pitiful and cowardly abdication of responsibility that only strengthens the argument for harder sanctions. I used to think that punishing the majority for the sins of a few was unfair, but I see little alternative now. UEFA will argue that stadium closures are effective because they cost Football Associations serious amounts of money, more than a fine would in fact. But that rather says it all when it is thought that the only way to combat racism is to hit people where it really hurts – in their pockets. The Bulgarian FA would gain more sympathy if they showed a willingness to deal with the issue, but they have done nothing of the sort. I doubt they even see it as much of a problem. And if that is the case, then Bulgaria should be thrown out of the competition. Maybe then they will act. We all know this will not happen though, but anything less serves little purpose. Bulgaria lost 6-0, so abandoning the game would have made a powerful statement, but would not have penalised the team itself. Not would docking points, and we can’t be deciding punishments according to group standings.
The use of the UEFA protocol on dealing with racist abuse is a baby step or two in the right direction. Hopefully it now snowballs into more. The protocol is understandable as it is a general rule for any signs of racism. But are we really OK with allowing racism three times before acting? I can accept one, as it sends a warning to what is usually a minority that it is unacceptable, without ruining the occasion for the majority. But one warning is enough. In the end, it was the players that decided they wanted the game to continue, and their decision should and must be supported. Whatever they decided was made on the ground by those that it affected most, and is thus one I respect. I’m not sure this was a case where football does the talking, but the football of the visiting team certainly made its point. The protocol has been around for a decade, it’s just seems no one was particularly bothered about monkey chants and other forms of racism until now. Hopefully last night was a watershed moment, but that may come when a match is actually abandoned rather than delayed. The protocol is problematic too in what it is used for. It is there to deal with mass racism. But when does racial abuse become “massed”? When 5 people do it? Isolated monkey chants in the 2nd half of the match could thus be excused, because the protocol is not there to deal with individuals. But then no one in the ground was there to deal with them either.
And so we await the punishments. A fine no doubt, consisting of some random numbers plucked from the air. A total stadium closure, save for the few thousand that somehow manage to sneak in for subsequent home games. And a warning. The prevalent feeling for me is that UEFA do not want to act on the matter, deep down. They would prefer for the problem to just go away. But it will never go away. And many are rightly not prepared to put up with it any more. They’re now in an awkward position therefore. Fines and partial stadium closures are easy. Throwing club sides out of competitions, especially small ones, is easy. Expelling a national side though takes cojones. For someone at the Bulgarian FA to stand up to the racists and neo-Nazis takes cojones. So neither will happen. UEFA need to realise that a racist neo-Nazi is not going to have a Road To Damascus moment when he sees a respect badge or hears a tannoy announcement. They are racist detritus and they still will be when they wake up this morning.
Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty
There is no moral high ground to take here. This is not a competition to see who is most racist. And this is not a football problem as much as it is a societal problem. Racism will never be eradicated, but we must limit it as best we can. And we must protect those that suffer most from it. There is no British high ground to take either, though some seem to think that even criticising what happened last night is doing precisely that. Sometimes it is better to say nothing at all. Gareth Southgate has been excellent on the topic, and it was disheartening to hear him comment on how the England players affected are hardened to racism because of experiences in their own country. The actions of a minority of England fans abroad away from the ground is an issue too, but a different one. This is not a “whataboutery” situation, and the behaviour of the detritus that travel spoiling for a scrap and a desperate desire to launch plastic chairs across Europe’s most beautiful plazas has hardly been ignored. There were 2 articles on it yesterday alone in the mainstream media. But that’s separate from Nazi salutes and monkey chants within football grounds. And what’s more, the jurisdiction away from a ground is different.
Greg Clarke spoke a lot of sense after the match, but his reluctance to criticise UEFA for their past record on racism made all his other words meaningless. We all know the examples of fines handed out and the empty rhetoric of videos, hashtags and media campaigns. They are not working. They don’t stop racists being racist. As BBC journalist Simon Stone mentioned on Twitter, Spurs play Red Star Belgrade next week, and ticket sales are low due to previous incidents of racism. Manchester United travel to Partizan Belgrade, whose stadium is open again after a two game closure due to racism. Wolves will play at Slovan Bratislava behind closed doors because…well, you get the gist. It is endemic, and it is not being dealt with, whether it be eastern Europe, Italy, Spain or England. Education has its place, as there is more than one way to show racist traits, but those in black hoods in the stadium on Monday night are not interested in UEFA campaigns. The only punishment is one that makes the Bulgarian FA understand that detritus like that should never be allowed inside a football stadium again. That makes them understand it is THEIR responsibility to deal with this issue. That racist abuse should be dealt with immediately by security or police in the ground. And that this cannot happen again, or else. At least the Bulgarian Prime Minister seems to recognise that today, as did the Bulgarian captain.
We all have a role to play here. As a white man with little knowledge of the prejudice many suffer in the UK and abroad, casual antisemitism apart, the last couple of years have been educational and sobering. I’ve tried to understand more of what is going on in the world, even if I have barely scratched the surface. To understand why blacking up is more than painting your face a different colour. Why Bernardo Silva’s tweet was an innocent mistake, but still wrong. We can do something too. It’s time we that know little of what goes on in the world wake up. If you hear abuse at a ground, do not turn a blind eye, or ear. Act. Racists will be racists, but for me the primary role here is to protect the players, who should never have to endure what they did last night.
But let’s end on a high note. Let’s talk about Tyrone Mings, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and more. Let’s be proud of them today. For their bravery, dignity, and professionalism in making a point in the best way possible – by inflicting on Bulgaria the biggest home defeat in their history. It’s a shame that an excellent debut from Mings will be largely forgotten, but he and others can hold their heads very high today. It was heartening also to hear the support for Raheem from the travelling support, support for “one of their own”. It’s just a shame that it took years of prejudice and outright racial abuse for you to fall in love with him as City fans do, and actually start supporting one of your own players. He needed that support two and three years ago, and it was nowhere to be found. A lot of people need to take a long, hard look at themselves, and not just Bulgarians. It will be one hell of a dilemma for the scouse separatists in a few weeks as to whether to boo him or not. What’s more, the pitiful support from certain sectors of the press is fooling no one. You’re all complicit in this.
As for Raheem himself, I am not sure I have ever had more respect for a footballer than I do for him right now. This transcends football performances and stats, though they play a part. When he was being booed on a weekly basis by every set of opposition fans, I would not have blamed him if he had packed it in and called it a day. I would have understood if his form had fallen off a cliff. After all, at the time of his signing and for a good year afterwards, a sizeable section of his own club’s fan base thought he was a one-trick pony. But boy is he strong. He kept his counsel and kept his head down. He worked on his game and he turned it all around. He won the respect and adulation of those that had mocked him incessantly, and he stood up to the racists, becoming a spokesperson and a leader for all those that had suffered like him in the past. He has become a role model for all, and I include myself in that. He is essentially this year’s true Sports Personality Of The Year, because he is the embodiment of what the winner of that award should be. Last night showed once more what a special human being we have at our club, and be thankful that there are people out there who do have the balls, like him, to confront this serious issue head-on. The world is a better place, or hopefully will be, because of people like Raheem Sterling.
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty)