22 May 2023 , 12:57
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Just don’t play.
It's very simple. It has never been complicated.
Walk off and say why. Disrupt. Utilise the commercial power wielded by talented black stars around the world that would sort the problem at a stroke. Create the chaos out of which a new order of basic respect, humanity and accountability will grow.
Sunday was the ninth time Real Madrid have seen fit to complain about the racist abuse Vinicius Jnr has endured in LaLiga. And trust me, if someone of his stellar profile is getting it, the lower profile players are getting it too.
After the match the organisations were all at it, rattling out their meaningless, cut and paste, “no place for” statements. Valencia, La Liga, even Fifa and the anti-racism organisations who you’d expect to be showing some leadership on the issue.
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Nobody wants to upset stakeholders, relationships and the people with whom they have longer term interests.
Fifa, remarkably, tried to reaffirm their three-step protocol - because in any other job you really would get three opportunities to be racist to someone. Worse still, they stuck it on an Instagram story, set to disappear in 24 hours.
Even some of the journalists in Spain should hang their heads in shame, attempting to gaslight Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti by suggesting he was mistaken about the racist abuse.
Co-commentators out there disgracefully feed the narrative that Vinicius Jnr is to blame for being called a ‘monkey’ by racists. Pundits likened him to a monkey after he danced by a corner flag by way of a goal celebration in September last year.
Normally I would shy away from looking inwards out of professional courtesy. But how can I criticise only the clubs and the fans when my own industry is equally culpable?
The forward is being continually let down by the football authorities (Getty Images)Ironically, I dared to believe Spanish football was taking a step forward two years ago when players from Valencia, no less, walked off the pitch during their LaLiga game with Cadiz after racist abuse was directed towards defender Mouctar Diakhaby.
The Daily paper Marca ran a front page headline reading: ‘You are not alone’. Maybe that was Spain’s black square moment. All performative. Because as we know, things have gone back to "normal" everywhere.
Nor is this just about Vinicius Jnr. This is about the fact that football is the only industry within which young Black men go to work bracing themselves for racist abuse either during games or afterwards on social media. It isn’t just a Spanish problem either. Romelu Lukaku was sent off in Italy when he stood up for himself against Juventus fans who’d targeted him earlier this season.
Here in England, a section of the Sheffield Wednesday fans who lionised Darren Moore following their dramatic, 5-1 play-off semi-final win over Peterborough last week, had sent him racist abuse after their 4-0 defeat in the first leg. Other players here don’t bother reporting racist abuse because they either fear they'll either be gaslit or forced to wait months before the perpetrator gets less than you would if you had a bet.
It is a football problem. One that the delusional authorities believe can be solved with banners, badges and ad campaigns.
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Heads need to be pulled out of the sand pronto because the players don’t want our solidarity. They don’t want your trite “I stand with…” tweets. They need action.
In the meantime they should walk. Just like you would do in any other industry where the people in charge can’t protect you from discrimination. Walk.
Because if, as a player, you stay silent, trust the authorities and do what you always do - you’ll get what you always get.