|

What Is The Price Of Racism ?

Crispin Thomas

Thursday, January 13th, 2005

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 what is the price of racism
and what price for this monkey sound
what worthy fine for this act at this time
just give or take four hundred pounds

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 and what message now are they sending
when will they open their eyes
when will we ALL kick this hate to the wall
and when will we ALL realise

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 for this is no mere “misdemeanour”
this is no “minor” display
when a ref has to choose to stop games for abuse
to plead calm from some distant PA

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 they say when you take one step forward
you can also take two more steps back
and in some parts it’s true – if you’re red white or blue
it’s ok – but it’s not if you’re black

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 we can all give and take criticism
we don’t like it but some times it’s true
but if we’re to evolve – it’s a problem to solve
so what else in this world can we do?

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 it’s the lowest of lowest behaviours
and in silence we all play a hand
but together we’re strong- we must stand and go on
til we banish this hate from each land

© CT05

Notes

Hello. Welcome to Racism in Football in 2005.
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (and a fair few un-highlighted locations still around the planet too I’ll be bound.)

Another recent and well-documented example of just how much there is still to do here and everywhere, on all levels in the game and of course towards all fellow men and women. From top footballers to asylum seekers. Sad too after so much conceived progress in this area. This piece comes after Atletico Madrid were fined the equivalent
of £420 for their fans outrageous behaviour in the Bernabeau Stadium.
In a football world where money talks in large figures primarily, this was the amount deemed appropriate for the “minor misdemeanour” levied by the Spanish FA for the horrendous racial abuse from Atletico Madrid fans aimed primarily at Roberto Carlos during the recent game with Real Madrid. At one point in the game, it was so bad that refereee Perez Burrell, had to stop the game and have an announcement made over the PA asking the fans –
“to stop imitatiing the sound a monkey makes when certain players were on the ball” ..
I guess the old pesata and euro hasn’ t dropped yet, and that this is yet another wake up call to say – however far we feel we may have come – from slavery to now – we still have a long way to go.

Before we pat ourselves on the back as we so love to do, after all the amazing work put in by so many major black (and white) role models in the game, there is still a major need for so much more in the way of education and awareness of this problem all around the world. Perhaps in some places we need to persuade a few more white and black Role Models to speak out in the game too, especially in those countries where racism, however childish, is still the norm or at worst a “minor” problem!

For more info, go to :

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1389049,00.html

www.kickitout.org & www.srtrc.org

Source: https://footballpoets.org/poems/what-is-the-price-of-racism-420/