It’s time football caught up

ENGLISH football, which has been sitting smugly on the moral high ground in the battle against racism, even confident enough to lecture other countries on the issue, is suddenly waking up to the ugly smell of complacency this morning.

The basis for the self-congratulatory stance taken in recent years is the extensive work done by the FA and by the Kick It Out campaign to raise awareness of racism in the sport.

But just when there was a temptation — not by the FA it has to be said but perhaps by those weary of the battle — to think racism in football had been ‘solved’, there is frightening evidence that it hasn’t.

John Terry, who as England captain is the very symbol of his country’s football values, has been charged by police with using racist language towards QPR’s Anton Ferdinand; and Liverpool’s Luis Suarez has been handed an eight-match ban by the FA and a £40,000 (€48,000) fine for racist abuse aimed at Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.

In Terry’s case, with a court case expected on February 1, it would be wrong to judge his guilt before evidence is heard — and the Chelsea defender has vowed to ‘fight tooth and nail’ to clear his name.

But this is still the right time to wonder how two such high-profile cases can arise at a time when many onlookers seemed to think the hard work on challenging racist attitudes in football had already been done.

In truth, the idea that such problems could be wiped out was always ludicrously optimistic; the issue has been managed rather than eradicated and although a mix of education and sanction has been effective we are a long way from the kind of utopia where those tools can be relaxed or discarded.

Go to any football ground and you’ll find there are still some pretty unpleasant attitudes to be found and the reality is football is still a long way behind other employment sectors when it comes to dealing with discrimination.

Just look at the evidence:

* There are only a handful of black managers working in professional football across the Premier League and Football League — a situation which only recently has been described as ‘institutional racism’.

* The people who run football clubs and select the managers appear to be almost entirely white.

* There is an enduring culture of dealing with problems ‘in house’ in football, meaning examples of racist attitudes or incidents at the training ground are almost impossible to find or analyse. Those who complain are still regarded as ‘trouble-makers’.

* Attitudes in football are still so homophobic that not a single footballer working at 92 professional football clubs has been confident enough to admit he is gay.

* Fans may no longer throw bananas — but racist and homophobic chanting still exists; and attitudes hidden away on internet message boards reveal the problem has not gone away With all those issues suddenly to the fore we can only hope no matter what happens in the Terry and Suarez cases (both players will no doubt work tirelessly to prove their innocence and this story is likely to last a long, long time) that the headlines generated by their stories drive complacency away and allow the FA to work even harder to combat discrimination in future.

There is absolutely no reason why in 2012 a footballer of any race, any background, any sexuality or any faith should have to lose even a second’s sleep worrying about whether they may face discrimination in the work place.

But unfortunately many will; and that, rather than the effect Suarez’s absence will have on Liverpool’s title hopes or what the consequences of Terry’s misdemeanours will be on his international career — should be the focus of attention right now.

How many people in any other walk of life could racially abuse a colleague, rival or customer and expect to remain in work?

And how many feel compelled to put up with discrimination and insults, or feel it necessary to hide their religion or sexuality, because the environment in which they work is so far behind the times?

It’s about time football caught up.