“If someone throws a banana at me in the streets, I will go to jail because I will kill them.”
That’s what Italian striker Mario Balotelli said during the 2012 UEFA Euro Cup. He has had it with racism. Balotelli is one of many black soccer players who have had to endure the harsh words of fans all throughout their career.
“It’s a terrible time for the game,” said theScore broadcaster Kristian Jack. “Whenever we report on sports, it’s generally at its best when we are reporting what’s happening inside the white lines. The fact that we’re dominated with all these headlines and it’s been a really difficult year in the circumstances for football and obviously for the Kick it out racism campaign. It’s not been great, it’s not been good, and I think quite frankly, football needs to take a strong look inside the mirror at itself and see how it’s adapted to this.”
You’d be hard-pressed to turn on a TV, open up a newspaper, or even browse your favourite sports website without seeing, reading or hearing about someone being racially abused during a soccer match.
Patrice Evra versus Luis Suarez was the first widely publicized racial incident, which took place during an EPL [English Premiere League] match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC, on October 15, 2011. According to the UK publication, “The Telegraphy,” citing a documented report following a hearing into the allegation, Manchester United’s defender, Patrice Evra, had accused Liverpool striker Luis Suarez of racially abusing him after a heated argument following a foul called by referee Andre Marriner. It is stated in the report that Suarez had made racially charged comments towards Evra, including: “I don’t speak to blacks,” “Okay, blackie, blackie, blackie,” and calling him a “nigger.” Erva was clearly frustrated.
Following a thorough inquisition into the incident, the Football Association found Luis Suarez guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra. He was handed an eight game match ban, and a fine of £40,000 ($52,000).
Kristian Jack, a soccer journalist who has been following the sport since 1997 and current co-host of theScore’s ‘Footy Show’ feels it is a slap on the wrist, especially for a player who has been known to engage in such immature situations.
“Luis Suarez got eight games last year for repeated racial slurs, over and over, which wasn’t enough in my opinion, and everyone said it was hard. He should be banned from months and months and months,” said Jack.
“That’s the only way you’ll ever going to stamp out this for them game. When people are actually found guilty, Luis Suarez, you ban them for a very long time,” he ended.
The most recent episode in the saga of racism in soccer reared its ugly head just months ago during a U21 [Under 21 years of age] international match featuring England and Serbia. England defender Danny Rose was shown a red card when he purposely kicked the ball into the crowd and mimicked the movements of a monkey after the referee had blown the whistle to end the game. Rose had said prior to the start of the match, he along with other black teammates were subjected to monkey chants from Serbian supporters. After the game, he was clear about his frustration at the behaviour of the Serbian supporters.
In an interview following the game, Rose said “the monkey chants started when we went out for the warm –up.” He asked his team mates if they heard the same. They did. Then he took the matter to head Coach Steve Wigley, who advised him to “try his best to get through it.”
This isn’t the first time Serbian fans have been involved in a racial abuse case. In 2007, then England defender Nedeum Onuoha was the butt of racial chants and jokes at the hands of Serbian fans during a similar U21 international match.
The Danny Rose situation has yet to be investigated by the UEFA (Union of European Football Association), which is the administration body of football in Europe. No fines have been given, nor has there been any actions taken against the Serbian Football Association. On the UEFA website, the report for this match recorded showed “no instance of racist abuse.”
“I don’t think they (Football Association) have taken care of the victims, the people who were allegedly racially abused, and personally I don’t think they were hard enough on the ones who were found guilty of doing it,” said Jack.
“I can’t tell you how many times it has happened to me over my years of playing the game,” said Shane Lammie Jr., former U20 Canadian national player, now assistant coach of the York University soccer team. He recalls his time spent playing for Germio FC in the Brazilian Serie A league. As a young Canadian player travelling overseas, to a new surrounding and society, Lammie Jr. found it difficult to make the transition, and the locals didn’t make it any easier for him.
“It was hard for me,” he said. “Playing in Brazil really opened my eyes to how different the sport is in other countries. Back in Toronto I never had to deal with the racial comments like I did there. Once in a while someone would mumble something slick, but won’t blatantly say it out loud – there, they didn’t care. I was an easy target because I didn’t speak nor understand the language, and on top of that, my dreaded hair was something out of the ordinary for them.”
Danny Dichio, head coach of Toronto FC academy and the U15 academy team says the difference between North American soccer and overseas football has a lot to do with its people when it comes to dealing with the issue of racism in the sport, and the racial abuse black players are subjected to. Dichio states during his time in the MLS, he had never had to face this issue, nor did any of his black teammates have to deal with being racially abused.
“In North America, I do not see the extent of what’s going on back in England – now don’t get me wrong, I don’t know if it happens in American football or basketball, these are all predominately black sports as well, a lot of black people are playing so I don’t think it would go on as much.”
“It’s a different mentality over here with the people,” said Dichio. “Here in North America where it’s seen as such a forbidden rule. In Europe it still goes on, in the smaller cities, and stuff like that and it’s seen as an everyday thing.”
The topic of racism in soccer shows no signs of ending; black players are becoming easier targets off the field to racial abuse with the emergence of social media, as more fans taking their racist remarks to the World Wide Web. Norwich City defender Sebastien Bassong was subjected to racial tweets earlier in November, and just this past Saturday a fan was arrested for making racial gestures to the defender.
