JT - The Best Summing Up I've Read

Like lots of other Blue Bloggers, I was intending to write my view on the FA taking the England captaincy away from JT. However, when I read the following quote from an old mate of mine on Facebook I thought I'd copy that instead (with permission). It says everything I would have, in fewer words and far more intelligently.


From Jim Cowan on Facebook. Jim was old school White Wall in the 70s and 80s who now, among other things runs equality training for businesses and raises bucket loads of cash for charities:


"I'm appalled by the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy. True equality must mean equality for all including in the eyes of the law. That means the standard of innocent until proven guilty applies to all regardless of whether you like the accused or not. Without maintaining that simple position true equality will never be achieved.

Equality is not about race or gender or sexual orientation or disability or religion......it is about all human beings being given the same treatment, the same respect by their fellow human beings. If you would expect to be allowed the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, you must extend that to Terry or accept you do not believe in equality for all.

By all means if he is found guilty then throw the book at him (and then some) with my blessing. But please do not talk about equality unless you are prepared to practice what you preach."




KTBFFH

Mindless Racist Morons Do Chelsea Football Club No Favours

“I’ve half a mind to join the BNP – apparently that’s all I need.”

So said the graffiti I saw on a Hammersmith wall a couple of years ago, sharing a sentiment I share albeit with reservations that they overestimate the mental capacity required!

So when I hear that some morons have been singing racist chants in the name of Chelsea FC on a train back from Norwich I scratch my head and wonder.

Our club captain John Terry is due in court next month charged with racism. He denies the charge and vehemently protests that he is not a racist. Do the morons think they are somehow doing JT a favour?

Lots of our players are black, both the club and the fans have moved on a long way since the days when Paul Canoville was disgracefully abused by his own supporters on his debut*. Do the morons really think they are supporting the players of such a multi-racial club in their actions?

One of my best mates has a black wife. Both of them are Chelsea supporters but only he goes to games. She went twice but was put off by idiots making racist comments. Do the morons behind these chants thing this helps the club develop?

I just don’t get it. If you are really so racist that you have to sing about it on a train, why the fuck do you support Chelsea in the first place?  That’s the same Chelsea who are proudly a multi-cultural team from the planet’s most cosmopolitan city.

And if any of these morons are of the Hitler worship variety, perhaps they could take note that these days we are owned by a Russian Billionaire, the Russians being among the many peoples Hitler referred to as ‘untermensch’. I’ll leave you to figure out the translation (if you need it) and the contradiction in a Nazi supporting a team owned by such a man.

I just don’t get it. Half a mind? The graffiti flattered you.

Do us all a favour, fuck off and support another team. Or better still, go and play on a busy road.

KTBFFH

*If you haven’t already read it, I can thoroughly recommend Paul Canoville’s biography ‘Black and Blue’ which gives a startling insight into the hurt and damage caused by these racist morons.


(See side bar and click to purchase a copy from Amazon).

The Suarez Decision – Am I Alone In Feeling Conflicted Over This?

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

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

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