May be of interest to peeps on here. Marvin Sordell, Andre Gray & others contribute to the documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/1dd50528-435a-41fd-ba9f-9f955a819751 WFC come across well in assisting.
Don't know if it was covered elsewhere but Andre Gray was on R4 yesterday morning, broadcast from a youth club in Harrow, as was Sadique Khan't. Subject was knife-crime; came across very well and clearly hit the target with the youngsters he was there talking with.
Pretty sure the abuse against Deeney was from Mexican fans, wasn't it? Not that it makes it OK, but it does mean there's basically jack **** the Government/Police/FA/Premier League can do about it when it originates over the internet from another country.
The BBC iPlayer has a 25 minute documentary on racism in football with Watford the only Premier League club which permitted its players to take part. I have added the link below https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p081mk0x/shame-in-the-game-racism-in-football I am pleased and proud that the club saw fit to allow our players to take part. This is a worthy cause and as I have seen on other threads comments that if we hear racist, sexist, homophobic or disability abuse it should be reported to the club. I agree. However I have a concern that the documentary gave the impression that our fanbase has racist elements. It probably does have a smallish element which needs to be removed but I would suggest of all the teams in the Premier League we are among those with the least (or is it fewest?) problems. There is reference in the piece to the recent Watford v Burnley game and shows a number of angry fans. You cannot hear any racist abuse but you can hear fans shouting about the performance. I was pretty angry after losing 3-0 but I didn't hear any racist abuse from our fans. So why were our fans used in the documentary? Rather than show us as being a leading light in tackling the issue it felt like we were being used to highlight the problem. Surely the documentary makers could have used any amount of footage rather than our fans after the Burnley game. As for the rest of the documentary it felt like an opportunity missed in so much as it kept on saying that the abuse was wrong (as it is) without saying exactly how the problem should be dealt with in the future.
I don't think Burnley would have many players of colour to abuse and you'd like to think ours wouldn't abuse our own players in such a way! I think someone else pointed this out before - makes you wonder why no other club took part? Did they not want to bring up the issues which as you say do need to be reported and stamped out or rather choose to go through their own club PR avenues when discussing the issue of racism? The One Show had a piece on the racism in football and talked about the alleged abuse (which wasn't proven it seems by the police) in the Spurs v Chelsea game which the former took offence to and demanded an apology,. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/tottenham-complaint-bbc-racism-the-one-show-a4352846.html
I'm sure it has happened but in 20 odd years I have never heard a racist comment at a Watford game by a Watford fan. Well done to the club for allowing the players to speak out, Troy and Kabasele have already had their say on other programmes. FIFA and UEFA are pathetic with their punishments and the FA aren't much better. Unfortunately I think it'll take years of work to eradicate what is a deep rooted societal problem.
Any other of the more senior supporters going to confess how opposing black players were subjected to loud, raucous and unashamed monkey noises at the Vic in the 70s right up until Luther and Barnsey? The same as at every football ground in the country. You have to wonder how many people still hold those sort of sentiments but can't shout them these days because of the PC brigade and those so-called "woke" trendy lefties who won't let you even speak.
Really powerful words from all involved. It's disgusting and this was hopefully an eye opener to the morans who still do it. Nice to see Sordell too.
Worth remembering we had one of the first black players in League foot ball - Roy Brown played 1953-1958. Was very popular and, even in those days when racism was more "acceptable" he didn't get any from our fans. His heading was thought by many to the best in country. Trivia his brother was Lord Mayor of Stoke
Standing up to racism isn’t being “woke”, it’s being a normal human being with at least an ounce of compassion or common sense.
The point he was making was that there are racists all around us in society, including Watford fans. Some will still hold those opinions even if they don’t voice them because of “woke” people. I agree with him right up until that point. Woke has become a term to describe a section of (mostly young) people who are extremely sensitive to anything that could be offensive - sometimes legitimately but sometimes seemingly just because they want the moral high ground. I think to describe people who are against racism as “woke” could imply that they may be making undue fuss.
Yes, he’s mocking racists who think those who challenge them and their views are woke (or part of the PC brigade).
Yes, I think you'll find that most of the racist comments that appear on social media are made by bloody foreigners
I went to a few games at Palace in the early 70s and was impressed with how their three black players were treated as honorary whites while the opposition's received all sorts of abuse.
The same as when Luther Blissett & John Barnes were playing for us in the late 70s/early 80s, sadly. Part of the 'My black mate is alright, it's the rest of them I don't like' mentality that racists to this day employ. They then engage in racist 'banter' with their black mate, who is only 'alright' because he appears to go along with it.
On a slightly different tack Craig Ramage has been sacked by the BBC for racist views he made about young black players at Derby in a podcast.
Actually used the phrase ‘young black lads’ and singled them out for a bit of the old ‘they don’t work hard and need to knuckle down’ type comments.
To be fair Craig was always an easy player to accommodate. Even in the 1990’s he lived in a cave, as he clearly still does.