Haven’t read the thread. It’s appalling that racism still exists in football and tragic that it’s crept back into English football.
What with the state of politics in the UK as well as a horrible xenophobic mentality that seems to be festering over the whole brexit issue, it sometimes feels like this country has got stuck in a timewarp and has regressed to 1981
I blame Corbyn. Antisemitism is disgusting in this day and age. He should stand down. And offer himself up for live target practice for them Para’s.
It's always been there Stan, it has never gone away, when you say crept it only gets driven underground. That's when racism is at it's worse, when it's hiding in social society, it creeps like a cancer under the surface, I've always believed it's better to see the racism, challenge it and re-educate. In Montenegro it was witnessed in it's purist form, it's what tore Yugoslavia apart in the first place and created the geographical boundaries that it has today. It used to be rife back in football out there before the ethnic conflicts broke out - it was evident to anyone that didn't turn a blind eye, that it was a far deeper problem than football, and one that cost a million lives.
It never went away, but I think it got better. The increasing diversity of northern Europe, coupled with an overall increase in affluence from the early 90's onwards saw a much more tolerant and inclusive society. There were always pockets of extreme racism in some eastern european countries, but even places like Poland, Cech republic, Slovakia had become quite culturally diverse. Unfortunately, since the banking crash in 2008, recessions across Europe have allowed an insidious creep of blaming both the poor and immigrants for societies problems. Added to that, the West's largely calamitous interventions across the middle east have also seen refugees fleeing war torn countries and head for the safety of Europe, and fuelled by a right wing press, these people have largely been demonised as invaders, stealing benefits, homes, jobs etc.
This is 1990 in Zagreb the old Yugolavia, conspiracy theorists would have us believe this is the football match that started the war, Serbs v Croats. I post this just to demonstrate the ethnic troubles back then evident in the game, and regardless of conspiracy theories how it went on to destroy the country...
Stopped going to football around 1984 ish...when I was 17 ... just got too threatening with the racism and violence. Lost count of the amount of abuse I got ...being called a paki, having those paki bud bud noises made at me and being targeted by racist skinheads and other assorted scum from the age of 14 to when I stopped. Was loads of monkey noises aimed at Crooks, Hughton and Thomas and tbh from some spurs fans to opposition players. Started going again in the late 80s and remember one ****ing idiot spurs fan racially abusing Nayim v Man City...the ****er started celebration when Nayim scored but slunk off when a few of us called him a ****ing hypocrite. Over the years it definitely got better regarding racism so I felt safe tsking my girls from the ages of 6 and 3 respectively. Unfortunately it is coming back...but in my view that's cos there is more racism in society (like I said ... this is just my view). While I agree it is worse in other countries...they appear to be like Britain in the 70s and 80s...there have been a rise in examples of verbal racism to non white players and of things being thrown at them recently...some **** of s spurs fan threw a banana skin at Aubameyang. I also think that it is really good that homophobic behaviour is being treat like racist behaviour at football. It is a stain on our fans that Campbell recieved so much abuse back in the day based around being gay. Thankfully that stopped ... now he gets **** for being a greedy lying ****. Imho I have no idea how stop racism or homophobia. Education is essential as is punishment but it needs to be in society as a whole.
