Shaz
New member
My opinion on this and the wider issue for what's it worth. I've tried to stay out of the "football/race" conversations as much as possible, but what Gus has said actually struck a chord with me.
Some on here will know, I'm from a mixed race background. I have also played football at various levels from Sunday League in Brighton to rural backwater leagues in Bristol and Cornwall. During 15 or so years I have encountered racial abuse. I wouldn't say it was regular but it certainly was more regular than I would have liked. What Gus said struck a chord because the thing that was furthest from mind was reporting the issue to the local FA or the police. I'd much prefer to smash the perpatrator in the next tackle or deliver a cheeky 'accidental' elbow in the next header. On my part, that is probably the wrong course of action, but that is me and how I would have dealt with the situation. I feel a little (and I stress the word little) uneasy with people who havent suffered this abuse telling me how I should and shouldn't react to racist abuse.
The whole thing has got totally out of hand. Of course, any racism or generalisation has absolutely no place in football, but there needs to be a certain amount of 'manning' up that goes with it. The thing about the two high profile cases at the moment that grates with me at the moment is the club/personal rivalry that is tagged along with it. Would Evra have complained so vehemently had it been, for example, a Wolves player? Would Anton and QPR made such a deal of it had it been an Aston Villa player who hadn't disposed his brother as England captain? I may be being unfair here, but something just doesn't sit right....
All this being said; I am livid that Poyet has even needed to say anything about this. We have a MASSIVE game tomorrow and it has diverted from this. It is fairly clear that he isn't a racist. Stupid, and outdated maybe; but not a racist.
Brilliant post, totally agree