Racism: it is a really hot topic in football at the moment, and
rightly so. There is no place for racism in society let alone football.
This afternoon we heard that John Terry is to be charged over that
incident at Loftus Road but I am not going to comment on that other than to
repeat what I have said all along; he is innocent until proven guilty and to
treat him any other way would be to discriminate against him . I hope he proves
to be not guilty but, if the verdict goes the other way it doesn’t matter how
Blue I am, he will deserve to have the book thrown at him.
But did Liverpool’s Luis Suarez deserve to have the book thrown at
him?
Don’t get me wrong, the fight for Champions League places will be
tight this year and his eight match suspension certainly works in our favour
and yet……I feel extremely conflicted and therefore uncomfortable over the
treatment Suarez has received.
That he called Partice Evra ‘Negro’ is not disputed. That Evra
found the term racist (and therefore offensive) is also not disputed. Case
closed surely?
Had Suarez been born and raised in the UK, undoubtedly I would be
happy with this outcome. But he wasn’t, he was born and raised in Uruguay a
nation where the word ‘negro’ is in everyday usage and is not considered racist
or otherwise offensive (the word even has its roots in the latin languages). Chelsea
legend Uruguayan Gus Poyet has gone on record to confirm this, to insist Suarez
is not making up a convenient story.
In his 1963 ‘I Have A Dream’ speech Martin Luther King Jnr used
the term Negro to describe his own race. Was he being offensive, racist even? Okay,
that was nearly fifty years ago and times move on but have those times moved on
in different directions in the UK and Uruguay? Clearly they have, and not only
in those two countries; in the US organisations such as the United Negro
College Fund continue to conduct great work in assisting black people afford
college educations and the 2010 United States Census included the term for
individuals to identify racial origin.
Confused? Conflicted? To some (even to many) the term ‘Negro’ is
undoubtedly racist and carries uncomfortable connotations and reminders of
slavery. In the UK it is accepted as a ‘no-no’ word. But this is not so in many
parts of the rest of the world.
I am conflicted because I fear that in the rush to condemn racism
the FA have actively discriminated against Suarez’s own culture. They have
chosen the defence of one culture over that of another.
That racism took place here cannot be disputed but surely the right outcome should be one of learning not punishment; learning for
Suarez about what is acceptable and a warning that now he knows he should not
repeat it (plus a public apology to Evra). Learning for the FA in that they
must take the lead in ensuring that those coming into the English game from
other cultures understand the new (to them) culture in which they now live and
work and therefore avoid a repeat of this situation again. And learning for us
all; if we are to celebrate the diversity of our culture we must guard against
jumping to conclusions based on our own cultural background without taking
steps to understand the culture of others – you, me, Suarez and Evra included.
No matter how Blue (or Red) we are.
KTBFFH
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