Football Poets

The Trial of Luis Arragonés

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 The Charge

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Luis Arragonés stands roundly accused
Of delivering a strong racist slur,
Although he has claimed that the phrase that was used
Was merely intended to spur.
To an audience of quite a large entourage,
He urged young Antonio Reyes
To “show that black s**t” which of them was in charge,
To use his inelegant phrase.
The case as it stands has been deemed black and white,
To use an appropriate pun.
Excuses he’s offered seem feeble and trite,
His fingerprints lie on the gun.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 The Case for the Prosecution

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Thierry Henry is so gifted and young,
And to all intents and purposes, black.
He can hardly be blamed that this comment was flung
In this nasty and needless attack.
He did not provoke this unsavoury blitz,
This viciously boorish assault.
For racism thrives where’er racism flits,
And it’s time that we all called a halt.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Why mention his colour? What use did it serve,
Compounding one wrong with a second?
People who misuse their power deserve
To suffer great losses, it’s reckoned.
The Spanish claims that he meant no offence,
And claims his remarks were not racist,
But people will scoff at this puerile defence,
His crime’s surely one of the basest.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 The Case for the Defence

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Mohammad Ali is a black superstar,
As has often been written at length.
Throughout his career, he found colour a bar,
But he fought it with courage and strength.
But is “black superstar” a racist remark,
In much the same way as “black s**t”?
Why mention the fact that his skin might be dark?
What gain can be garnered from it?

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Or is the adjective “black” perfectly pc,
If the noun it precedes is okay?
“Nelson Mandela’s black presidency”
Is surely not racist per se.
So the Spaniard’s remark was insulting and trite,
And in it’s own way, a disgrace.
The “s**t” is offensive, a strong verbal slight,
But the “black” is no insult to race.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 The Summing Up

¶ 10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 The man’s been found guilty by all in the press,
But that’s no guarantee that it’s true.
His comments have caused much dismay and distress –
That fact is not hard to construe.
But is he a racist? The jury’s still out,
And could possibly finish up hung.
Better by far where there’s possible doubt
To keep more control of one’s tongue.

¶ 11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 His choice of description was quite injudicious,
His reins on the job have been slackened.
Attacks in the press are reactive and vicious,
His name and his character blackened.
And even if innocent, as he has claimed,
Perhaps it is right that he’s slated
As a warning to others they might end up shamed
For a hatred that’s race-motivated.

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