Pele called it “the beautiful game,” but it seems that the odious rise of racism is smearing a stain across Britain’s (and most of the world’s) favourite sport.
A spike in abuse is being seen at all levels of football, including amateur, professional and women, in the UK and in continental Europe.
The British campaigning group, Kick It Out, says racist incidents here last year rose by 65 percent, and spokesman Sanjay Bhandari said social media was partly responsible. “It enables people to express views that have been long suppressed,” he said.
A toxic environment had been created which was exacerbated by the tone of political discourse. “It’s much more extreme than it has been for probably 30 or 40 years,” he added.
Incidents include abuse directed at black players, objects being thrown onto the pitch, monkey gestures and waving of extreme right-wing banners.
Last October, the England team faced Nazi salutes and monkey noises from the Bulgarian crowd in Sofia and similar behaviour in Montenegro. Last month, matches in Holland’s top two divisions held a minute’s silence to protest against racism. Last week, Hertha Berlin’s under-16 team left the field protesting that they were being abused by their opponents.
A new BBC Three documentary film, Shame in the Game, carries interviews with British players who quit the game or sought counselling because of abuse they received on the field and online.
Commenting on the film, football reporter Jack Fox wrote, “If there is one thing that emerges, it is that at both ends of the football spectrum, there is a feeling that those in power are not doing enough to combat this disease.”
Stopping play or walking off the field may be the most effective sanction of all, but there is pressure on authorities to do more in terms of educating fans.”
Watford player Andre Gray referred to abuse on social media directed at his team after last season’s FA Cup semi-final and declared, “Nothing got done about it. People higher up did nothing about it.”
The Football Association pointed out that only the players and officials came under its jurisdiction but added, “We investigate all reported form of discriminatory abuse of English football at every level of the game and work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure the matter is dealt with appropriately.”
We always seem to be metaphorically checking our pulse in this country: Are we content with life and if not why not? How does our job rate? What makes us happy?
As for the last-mentioned, a poll of 2,000 people listed the top three factors for happiness as a blue sky on a sunny day, a lovely landscape and puppy dogs.
What also cheers us up is having a lie-in and finding money in an old coat.
Another poll of 2,000 Brits listed 10 necessary factors for a pleasant life in the office. These included hard-working colleagues, understanding bosses and lack of gossip.
When Kelly Ann Alexander started suffering from seizures, as many as 15 per day, she had no idea what was causing the convulsions.
But she noticed that her horse, Aliyana, was persistently sniffing the right side of her head.
Tests revealed that Kelly had a growth at precisely this part of her skull and she had surgery to remove the tumour. “My horse was the first to make any sense of what is happening to me,” she said.
Kelly, 43, from Blackburn, is still having treatment, but returned to riding in just seven months. “Aliyana is the best therapy I could have,” she said.
From smart horses to smart dogs …Border collies are quick, intelligent canines possessed of boundless energy (I know because I once had a border collie cross and she exhausted me with her demands). As such, they are ideal at herding sheep.
None more than Megan from Northumberland, who last week became the world’s most expensive sheepdog when she was sold to an American ranch owner for £18,900.
The average price for a working dog is around £2,000.
Megan was trained by shepherdess Emma Gray from Morpeth, who telephoned to double-check the price for Megan after the auction in Skipton, Yorkshire. “I had to make sure it wasn’t a hoax and I wasn’t dreaming,” she said.
Afterwards, she said, “I bought Megan some chicken and let her sleep on my pillow.”
Megan will now go from herding sheep in the northeast of England to rounding up cattle in Oklahoma.
From the church bulletin board:
The sermon this Sunday: “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon next Sunday: “Searching for Jesus.”
Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7pm. Please use the back door.
Pot-luck supper Saturday at 5pm. Prayer and medication to follow.
Miss Charlene Mason sang, “I will not pass this way again,” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
