Racism in football - zero tolerence

[malumbu]

I was there on my beloved terraces when opposition fans (not every team, and I wont name them) chanted "nigger nigger lick my boots" (I am quoting, so will use the term), and 100s of bananas were thrown onto the pitch. It was wrong, even so a different world when Shoot magazine had an article on the lack of black players, and blamed mental attitude. Oh how they were proved wrong.

I recall 15 years later monkey chants close to a ground at a black bus driver.

Now all changed, including the attitude both of fans and the authorities and thankfully society as a whole. You can be a lanky b'tard, fat b'stard, bald b'stard but not a b'tard of any particular ethnicity when being insulted from the terraces. OK so these may be offensive terms, but in the manner of JT offensive, not racist. And I heard a great story, Millwall fans taunting Marlon King, a man who has a bit of a dodgy past - "you're just a black Jimmmy Savile". And a couple start discussing, questioning whether they are being racist or not (how times have changed). I think this is another JT outcome.

So my question dear reader is how far does zero tolerance go. If someone is being racist, do you say please disist from being racist my dear man (or madam), this is 2012 not 1912. Or do you go straight to the stewards, get them kicked out and banned for life (which will happen).

Not a loaded question, just interested in views as I came across this almost first hand the other day. Don't go to FIFA 13 as that wont give you an answer.

Depending on the results tomorrow I'll tell a story from New Years Day 1979.

[Lowlander]

Depends on the person. If they look reasonable I may tell them to their face, if they look like they'll ignore me or kick the sh!t out of me, I'd tell the stewards.

[DJKillaQueen]

I think there has to be zero tolerance but it's hard to find the right way to deal with that at ground level when Fifa do such a poor job at the top (eg punishing a player for wearing he wrong endorsed kit more than a club that subjected an England U21 team to racism during a qualifier match).

[Jah Lush]

Report the bastards.

[malumbu]

Should have titled this racism in football crowds of course. Think there is a fine divide between changing someone's behaviour as opposed to the sledge hammer approach. The twot at the Chelsea Man U league cup match does amuse me though, "I am so so sorry for doing the monkey impression, please please don't ban me for life"

The thread was based on a couple of real experiences, but as one was second hand don't know how objectionable the person was - yes stewards were brought in and yes no doubt he will get a banning order.

[malumbu]

Two things: A Millwall fan who directed racist abuse at a Leeds United striker has been banned from football matches for five years and ordered to pay more than ?500. Gerrard Scanlon, 53, was arrested after Sky Sports News broadcast footage that appeared to show some of the London club's supporters abusing El Hadji Diouf. Scanlon, a delivery driver, admitted his foul-mouthed tirade when he was brought before magistrates on Wednesday and fined ?425. He was told to pay further costs of ?85 and a ?15 victim surcharge, the Metropolitan police said.

And the incident at the Emirates that kicked off my thread, where someone was abusing one of the empty seats (red, fat and empty); I jest of course, he was abusing the players. This bloke has been done as well.

[malumbu]

Excellent documentary on ITV last night (I don't usually use excellent and ITV in the same sentence) on Laurie Cunningham. First saw him when he was at Orient, who were about the only team who regularly had black players. Sadly a wasted career after too many injuries at Real Madrid.

Shame there is not more footage, particularly in Madrid, and that BBC could not have shared some of their's.

www.itv.com/itvplayer/first-among-equals-the-laurie-cunningham-story/series-1/episode-1-first-among-equals-the-laurie-cunningham-story

[Townleygreen]

I agree malumbu, interesting programme

[malumbu]

I've read and listened a little about the chanting at the recent England matches, particularly that aimed at the Ferdinands. There are denials of course but I have a lot of time for some of the people on Radio 5. Here they reported that there was more tension than normal at the San Marino match and some faces from the past were seen, who thought they could get round their banning orders.

The other thing 5 live reported was the chanting of 'No surrender (to the IRA)' a chant a recall from 20 years ago which I found extremely ignorant.

Now I want my national team to do well, but I really can't stand the jingoism/ fuex nationalism you get (and that bloody Sheffield Wednesday band). A mate went to an England match against Wales a year or so ago and got fed up with the Sheep Shagger stuff aimed at the sheep shaggers, sorry the Welsh.

I was in Cologne during the Germany world cup which was brilliant, until the atmosphere took a tumble in advance of England fans arriving.

Sorry I've digressed from racist chanting to my issues with English support as a whole.

[Loz]

I've just read in the paper that one of the racist chants was the 'bonfire song'. I had to Google this. Whilst I can understand that singing a rather unpleasant song about the two Ferdinands can be seen to have racist undertones, the song itself seems difficult to define as racist. I'd guess that anyone banned for racism for singing this would have a legal case.

(For those, like me, who don't know it, try http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/03/27/rio-ferdinand-chants_n_2961699.html)