Racial abuse a blight on football

FROM THE SPORTS DESK

With Hartley Anderson

Sunday, February 12, 2012

IN recent times, the disturbing matter of racism in sport has taken centre stage. Sadly, it threatens to destroy the spirit of football, to the extent that unless the matter is urgently addressed, it could cause irreparable damage to the image of this beloved sport while instigating negative behaviours on and off the pitch.

Commendably, the English FA has in recent times moved apace in bringing sanctions against two of the perpetrators of an ill that has resurfaced in the form of Luiz Suarez of Liverpool and John Terry of Chelsea.

The former, a striker from Uruguay, was slapped with a £40,000 fine and an eight-match ban for racially abusing Frenchman Patrice Evra, who plays for Manchester United.

Terry, meanwhile, was stripped of the England armband for an indefinite period, ahead of the European Championships later this year, for committing a similar offence against compatriot Anton Ferdinand.

Yesterday, to add fuel to the fire, Suarez -- who was recently reinstated -- refused to shake Evra's hand during the pre-game introduction of a premiership game at Old Trafford and came within a whisker of wreaking havoc in Manchester.

Justifiably, United's coach Sir Alex Ferguson was incensed by the action of Suarez and accused the Liverpool striker of "inflaming an already difficult situation".

According to the veteran coach, "Suarez is a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club. He should not be allowed to play for Liverpool again... he could have caused a riot."

Indeed, those who witnessed yesterday's spectacle can attest to the atmosphere that pervaded the venue, with the booing of the Liverpool man whenever he touched the ball a testimony to its tense nature.

The aforementioned cases are significant and further, are being closely watched by the public because of the high profile nature of the individuals involved -- not necessarily because they are of African heritage.

Again, due to the currency of the incidents and the possibility of a landmark ruling on the matter by the world governing body, the English FA had little choice but to act expeditiously.

To its credit, FIFA has always adopted a zero-tolerance stance on racism and quite recently, president Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter came under fire for appearing to shrug off the effects, or even the reality, of these allegations.

Blatter initially seemed to suggest that racism on the pitch is an insignificant matter that could be summarily resolved by a simple handshake after a game.

In subsequently apologising for his utterances while intimating he was misunderstood, Blatter reiterated FIFA's position on the matter, leaving little doubt as to the direction it is headed as it relates to racism in football.

The fact is, however, that for years, black players have been similarly mistreated on the European continent, whether representing country or club. Indeed, there have been horror stories told by these individuals, with the throwing of bananas in their direction and the mimicking of actions characteristic of a monkey the symbol of these transgressions.

Ironically, all of this occurs in an environment where presumably, the global community has begun to embrace the human ideals of equity and enlightenment while purportedly steering clear of bigotry and injustice, as befits a world that professes modernism.

Further, even while the majority of countries endorses the democratic principles of freedom of speech and a free will, it is our responsibility as a sophisticated species to cultivate that air of civility which facilitates tolerance, regardless of inherent differences.

While I admit to the challenges of monitoring the behaviour of every single spectator in the stands at a game, I have a difficulty with players who spontaneously hurl racist insults at opponents before, during or after a game.

After all, in this case, the players are the variables of control and must be held accountable. Additionally, if for no other reason than the fact that they are on the payroll of these organisations and consequently, are their representatives, a measure of responsibility is to be expected.

Again, while acknowledging the reality that words will inevitably be exchanged in a competitive environment where winning is privileged even over fair play, a line has to be drawn, or we run the risk of losing much of the progress made over time.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the players' awareness of the influence that they wield as important members of an organisation that not only pays big bucks to acquire their services, but would also expect to be repaid in like fashion.

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Racial abuse a blight on football