Equality In Football – Time For Some Discrimination?

Equality; it is something I believe in. Whether it be race, religion, sex, sexuality, gender identity, age, disability or any other group that has, and does, suffer the indignity and pain of discrimination; I believe that all deserve to be treated equally. 

And for those keen eyed readers who are thinking; “hang on, doesn’t he support John Terry?” my position is compatible with that support. That is because I believe that, by extension, all also deserve equal treatment before the law, meaning that there has to be a presumption of innocence until guilt is proven. Now, if JT is charged and then found guilty, it matters not how much I like him, he should have the book thrown at him – but not before; that would be a form of discrimination too.

So, what do I mean by the title of this blog? Well, I’m fed up with those who shout about discrimination but then don’t treat everyone equally themselves. I’m also (let’s be blunt here) more than a bit fed up with listening to the views of idiots – perhaps the time is right to allow me to be a little ‘idiotist’, to discriminate against idiots.

Without further ado, here is my list of people I want to actively discriminate against. I’m fed up with the way they want equality but don’t apply it and/or I’m fed up with their idiocy and the idiocy of their followers:

The Media.

What would happen if someone, let’s say someone involved in football, faced very serious allegations on a legal matter? Our media friends would, of course, treat them as innocent until proven guilty, no hounding, no pushy questions and an almost complete lack of coverage. Certainly they would never question his position as a leader at (let’s say) his London club?

That is, if your name is Harry Redknapp, who has faced allegations of fraud and has actually been charged. Or if your name is Robin van Persie who was clearly seen by millions of Sky viewers giving a nazi salute to Arsenal fans at Stamford Bridge. In the latter case the silence has been especially deafening!

However, if your name is John Terry…..

Equality anyone?

Sepp Blatter.

No, I do not for one moment believe that Sepp Blatter is racist maybe a bit sexist but not racist. Oh no, what Sepp Blatter is can be described in one word; idiot. An idiot who surrounds himself with bigger idiots who will continue to back him regardless of how many outbreaks of foot in mouth disease he starts in otherwise peaceful Switzerland.

I won’t dwell on Blatter, there is no case for the defence, he is an idiot plain and clear; we should be allowed to discriminate against him at will.

Tokyo Sexwale.

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of this chap prior to today but in less than 24 hours he has made a very strong case for inclusion on my list. Sexwale is a South African politician who also sits on FIFA’s ‘fair play’ committee.

 Today Sexwale waded into the Blatter/racism debate by criticising England for picking John Terry and allowing him to lead the national team out against Sweden.  Sexwale proves himself to be one of the bigger idiots who follow the head idiot at FIFA by his careful research which allowed him to comment on Suarez who (according to Tokyo) represents Mexico. So glad the top people at FIFA are watching the game so closely, for a moment I had mistakenly believed Suarez was Uruguayan???

Shortly after he afforded Suarez a new nationality, Sexwale, talking about racist incidents in football, described the John Terry case as the “most worrying” before slamming the decision to allow Terry to lead England, “while the indiscretion against another player of another race is still so fresh in the mind.” – That’s an indiscretion as yet unproven Mr Sexwale!

And what of Sexwale’s own ‘indescretions’?

2001: Accused of plotting to overthrow President Mbeke. Later cleared; thank God for due process and the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

2002: Denied a visa to travel to the USA who had him on their global terrorist watch list. Fortunately, thanks to due process, he could appeal and be cleared.

Sexwale’s name also appears in a United Nations report on illegal transactions under the Oil for Food Programme. He hasn’t appealed the report as being incorrect.

So, this is the man who has passed judgement on John Terry and, in an indirect way on England. This is a man who wishes to be treated equally but does not afford the same respect to others; a man who expects to be treated fairly under the law but sits as judge and jury on events thousands of miles away from his South African home.

In less than one day, Tokyo Sexwale has done more than enough to merit being on my list of people to discriminate against, qualifying by treating others unequally and for being an idiot.

Neil Warnock.

Oh dear, Neil Warnock, where do I start? Do you even need convincing he merits a place on my list?  Didn’t think so! But, just in case you haven’t heard about it, he further bolstered his CV today with more nonsensical, badly thought through drivel.

Dear old Neil believes that all black players should boycott the next round of international matches as a protest against Sepp Blatter’s statement on racism and as a way of demanding Blatter’s resignation.

What he fails to explain is why it should be left to the black players to make a stand against racism, why the white players shouldn’t also take part? Somewhere inside Warnock’s tiny mind black and white are clearly segregated and racism is an issue only black people should speak up about! Isn’t that a tad racist in itself?

It’s way past time to allow some legal discrimination against the idiotic manager of Hammersmith and Fulham’s third team.

Finally; the FA.

Let’s ignore the difference in treatment between John Terry’s alleged racist abuse and Robin van Persie’s nazi salute (recap, Terry denies racism but is being investigated while van Persie claimed it wasn’t racist to perform a nazi salute and was believed and not investigated; witnesses to Terry’s alleged offence, a handful; witnesses to van Persie’s salute, millons).

Let’s, instead, focus on the way the FA allows referees to make appalling errors without comment, to blatantly bias one team over the other without a word while immediately jumping on any manager (or other club representative) who dares comment on such poor refereeing.

Take Foygate for example, the single worst refereeing performance most who witnessed it have ever seen. From Foy; silence. From the FA (on Foy’s performance); silence. But when Andre Villas Boas questions that same poor performance he is charged. Surely if anyone brought the game into disrepute that day at Loftus Road it was Foy and the FA?

Equal treatment for all? Not on your life; the FA comfortably makes my list.

There are other idiots deserving of discrimination, there are those who treat others unequally while expecting equal treatment for themselves. Let’s make a point of saving our discrimination for this deserving group of people. Feel free to add to my list!

KTBFFH

Proud To Be A Pensioner

Watching the Remembrance ceremony at the Cenotaph on Sunday I was reminded of days gone by before our nickname was ‘The Blues.’

Younger readers might not recall but historically the nickname of Chelsea Football Club was always ‘The Pensioners’ – it is only it comparatively recent times that we have been known as the Blues.

While watching the Remembrance Service I was filled with a sense of pride in everything these retired soldiers had done for our country and for each of us as individuals. We enjoy and take for granted so many freedoms that without these (now) old men we might not enjoy; things as simple as writing blogs, using Twitter or even watching football.

Why did we ever change our nickname? We should be proud to be associated with the old soldiers that are the Chelsea Pensioners. Without them, who (or what) would we be?

I’m proud to be a Blue but I’m prouder still to be a Pensioner, a supporter of Chelsea Football Club and of those who gave so selflessly so future generations shouldn’t have to. There are lots of football clubs calling themselves the Blues but only one ever called itself the Pensioners.

Isn’t it time to bring back our old nickname and all show our solidarity with those heroes of yesterday?

Let’s be The Pensioners again!

What do you say?

KTBFFH

Who Is The Babe On The Bench?

I’m sure I am not the only one who has looked to the bench a little more often this season that previous years – and not in search of a substitute either!

With the greatest respect to the fellas some of whom, I am reliably informed by the misses are pretty good looking (some aren’t), us blokes now have our own football pin up in the shape of new first team doc Eva Carneiro.

I’m sure we’d all agree Doc Fraser did a great job but the new doc is far more aesthetically pleasing.

Okay, this is a serious blog so here’s the serious bit:

Eva Carneiro is Chelsea’s new first team doc having previously looked after the reserves. Eva joined Chelsea in February 2009 and is listed on the club website as a sports medicine specialist who has previously worked at the British Olympic Medical Institute and with England Women’s Football and at UK Athletics (which was where we found Doc Fraser too).

And now, purely in the interest of serious blogging, here are some pictures of the lovely lady (groin strain anyone?):

KTBFFH

Ferdinand Letter Lets Us All Down

Reports that Anton Ferdinand has received a letter which contained serious threats; even death threats according to some, does John Terry, Chelsea FC and all of us fans a huge disservice.

Regardless of how we feel about Ferdinand’s allegations against JT, making senseless threats helps no one and, given the illogical national hatred of all that is Terry only adds fuel to the fire of the ignorants who believe that because it is JT it is okay to judge him guilty without an investigation; to ignore the legal standard of innocent until proven guilty we would all want applying if it were us accused.

Now they can point their fingers at ‘us’ – the club, the fans and all associated – and say, “told you what they’re like.”

Ferdinand may not be the brightest; anyone who needs two days to figure out whether they have been abused or not can’t be running too many brain cells. He may be shown to have made false allegations, the police investigation will tell us. But death threats? Seriously? Whoever sent that letter makes Ferdinand look like a rocket scientist!

And those of us hoping the police investigation will clear JT of any wrong doing; consider this – by sending the letter the writer has given the police something else to investigate. Now that is hardly likely to speed up the investigation which we all believe will clear our captain is it?

One moron lets us all down with this letter and I have a message for him/her which I’ll keep in simple short words I am sure he/she will understand:

Fuck off you wanker, you’re not helping JT or anyone else.

KTBFFH

Jose Mourinho And The Key Bit His Successors Have Missed Out

I think we would all agree that watching recent Chelsea games has been difficult  and although yesterday’s result at Blackburn saw a clean sheet and three points, I am sure I’m not alone in finding it as unconvincing a performance as the defeats (and draw) which preceded it.

Reviewing recent events it occurred to me that an element of coaching last seen under Jose Mourinho and which I expected to see return under AVB is still absent. It could be it is too early for it to be showing under our new Manager but nonetheless I feel it is worth highlighting.

The Special One was indeed special in many ways but to me one of the most exceptional aspects of his coaching was in his development of ‘the thinking player’. The thinking player was developed by posing tactical problems to the team in training and facilitating their ability to solve those problems themselves without coaching intervention during matches.

We saw its benefits most clearly during Mourinho’s Champions League touch line ban but it was at work in every game and was incredibly frustrating for opposition managers who had got used to changing their own sides tactics and then having at least a short window in which to exploit the unpreparedness of the opposition before their coaching staff could relay instructions. Not so with Jose’s Chelsea, they thought as a team and reacted swiftly to opposition changes.

Perhaps the greatest triumph of this part of Mourinho’s coaching philosophy came after he had gone. Uncle Fester (aka Avram Grant) was in charge as we faced Liverpool in the Champions League semi final and were looking in danger of blowing it. Grant made some inexplicable substitutions; JT was seen gesticulating to the bench apparently seeking explanation which was not forthcoming. Never mind, the thinking player coaching of Mourinho kicked in and the team arranged its own tactics accordingly. I know others agree with my view that the run to Moscow was a triumph of Mourinho’s not of Grant’s and this example demonstrates why.

As with all things coaching, you use it or you lose it and, as managers came and went those players who had starred under Mourinho gradually forgot the thinking player and returned to the classic need for instruction from the bench.

I had hoped that as he had worked under Mourinho, AVB might bring the thinking player back to the Bridge. Maybe he still will? The signs are not good and the defensive frailties of this season only serve to highlight this fact. We had defensive lapses under the Special One but they were very quickly sorted out ON the pitch and hence were rarities.

Of all the Special One’s special gifts, to me the thinking player was the best. I hope we see its return before too much longer.

KTBFFH

Of John Terry, Racism And A Police Investigation

When the accusations of racial abuse against John Terry emerged shortly after the QPR farce, the initial reaction of most Chelsea supporters was; “you must be kidding?” Indeed, initially even the player making the accusation, Anton Ferdinand seemed unsure whether he had been abused or not, taking a full two days to figure it out (or ‘consult’ as the media kindly worded it).

Terry himself offered an immediate explanation, that he had been responding to Ferdinand’s own accusation that he had used a racist term by telling him; “I didn’t call you a black c**t.”

It seemed a clear case of misunderstanding which would soon be cleared up and, in the wake of Foygate, was probably not the most pressing matter that the FA should investigate.

Not so. While the performance (or lack of) of Chris Foy remains uninvestigated, the FA quickly launched into an investigation into Terry’s alleged racially abusive comment. JT himself welcomed the investigation as an opportunity to clear his name.

He has far more confidence in the FA than I do. After their ignoring of Foygate and ensuing silence over van Persie’s (apparent) nazi salute of last weekend it has appeared to many that the powers that be at Lancaster Gate have it in for us Blues. Right now, I wouldn’t have any confidence in them investigating a spat in a nursery, much less a serious (for that is what it is) allegation!

For whatever reason, John Terry seems to be one of the nation’s least favourite citizens (outside SW6 anyway) and the public, led by the media, have been quick to denounce the England skipper and to pronounce guilt.

I was therefore pleased to hear this morning’s news that the Metropolitan Police are investigating the matter and the FA’s inquiry will, as a result, be put on hold. This is good news for everyone concerned, an investigation by trained investigators not anti-Chelsea buffoons.

Now we must let the investigation take its course. I would hope that if JT is cleared there will be a flood of apologies, not least from Ferdinand, QPR and the media, plus an investigation into the false allegations. I won’t hold my breath though. But what if the pendulum of justice swings the other way? What if JT is guilty? I don’t really want to consider that as a possibility, I have met John Terry on a number of occasions and I like him. But….if that is the case then he should be heavily punished.

There should be no place in a civilised society for damaging false accusations or for racism.

Anton Fedinand, you know what you are. John Terry, you also know what you are. Innocent? Guilty? False accuser? Racist?

The rest of us are holding our breath while the Met find which is which!

KTBFFH