I know my comments might be as controversial as Blatter’s but is what he said really that bad.
When you take out the waffle what he is saying is the players are having a battle on the pitch and when it’s over they can shake hands.
We are all the first to complain that football is getting to “PC”, hard tackling has all but been eradicated from the game, goalkeepers are protected more than ever etc.
I know I am older than a lot of you on here but players like Billy Bremner, Dave McKay, Norman Hunter even our own Derek Hales would not have been found complaining about what another player had called them, they would have sorted it on the pitch then shook hands and had a beer after.
I am not a racist nor am I condoning racist behaviour on the pitch but if football goes down a path where every time a player says something to another player a complaint gets filed and a police investigation takes places then I fear our beloved game is going down a path that could ruin it.
A quote from Ex Chelsea and Celtic player Paul Elliot who now is involved with the Kick it Out campaign "Shaking hands to compensate for a racial slur is not what the game has signed up to, and trivialises the work of campaigns like Kick It Out," Said the former CELTIC AND CHELSEA star...........
He is the head of world football and comes out with comments like this when racsim in football is in the spotlight and everyone is trying their best to eradicate it from our game. It beggars belief. The bloke is a total and utter moron and totally out of touch with reality. He needs to resign, he should resign but won't resign. Like most scandals at FIFA it'll just get swept under the carpet.
I know my comments might be as controversial as Blatter’s but is what he said really that bad. When you take out the waffle what he is saying is the players are having a battle on the pitch and when it’s over they can shake hands. We are all the first to complain that football is getting to “PC”, hard tackling has all but been eradicated from the game, goalkeepers are protected more than ever etc. I know I am older than a lot of you on here but players like Billy Bremner, Dave McKay, Norman Hunter even our own Derek Hales would not have been found complaining about what another player had called them, they would have sorted it on the pitch then shook hands and had a beer after. I am not a racist nor am I condoning racist behaviour on the pitch but if football goes down a path where every time a player says something to another player a complaint gets filed and a police investigation takes places then I fear our beloved game is going down a path that could ruin it.
I think you are mixing up a whole range of different things.
Firstly stopping hard tackling or challenges on keepers is nothing to do with so called "PC".
I know your not condoning racism but all the players you mentioned are white. It's not about saying no "sledging" but players can't "sort things out on the pitch" in the way those players you mentioned could ie with a knee high tackle or swift elbow. In their day they might have got a stern telling off from the ref. Now they would be sent off and banned for three games or more.
He might be TRYING to say that players having a battle on the pitch should shake hands afterwards and have a high energy glucose drink from our sponsors with each other but that's not what he said. One player racially abusing another is not, IMHO, banter nor is it something black or white players should have to put up with.
Black players of the era you mention did keep their mouths shut because often they would have got no support from their managers, clubs, the press or FA. Complain and it would be "he's got a chip on his shoulder/can't take a joke/let's give him more abuse because we know it winds him up".
Thankfully we've moved on and racism on and off the pitch isn't tolerated. Personally I think that is a great thing and something that I'm proud to say Charlton lead the way on 20 years ago with red, white and black day.
And players being a bit more careful what they say in case it gets them in trouble will not ruin football, it is and will make it much much better.
All fair points Henry and I do see where you are coming from but in my opinion all this running to the authorities whenever something like this happens is spoiling the game for me.
Players are suing other players for bad tackles, Tevez is suing Man City, now players are reporting other players for remarks made on the pitch, where will it stop.
Ferdinand would have been better off cutting Terry in two with a tackle to make his point and whispering something in his ear as they lay on the ground along the lines of "we are quits now you racist bastard" then walked off ready to serve his 3 match ban.
There is a distinction between saying something racist in the heat of the moment and being a racist (though neither is acceptable.) In one sense it is similar to a player using weight or some kind of tabloid tale in an insult to another player, and in that case yes, a handshake or at least an acknowledgement that something was said that shouldn't have been but is regretted is perfectly acceptable. Of course racial abuse is a whole level above most of these things, race is a very highly charged issue, and if guilty Suarez and Terry or anyone else in that situation should get as severe a punishment as possible BUT once that is done, it is done. Only if someone repeatedly causes such incidents should they be called a racist (Suarez has history in this regard I seem to remember...)
All fair points Henry and I do see where you are coming from but in my opinion all this running to the authorities whenever something like this happens is spoiling the game for me.
Players are suing other players for bad tackles, Tevez is suing Man City, now players are reporting other players for remarks made on the pitch, where will it stop.
Ferdinand would have been better off cutting Terry in two with a tackle to make his point and whispering something in his ear as they lay on the ground along the lines of "we are quits now you racist bastard" then walked off ready to serve his 3 match ban.
I remember Matt Holmes sued that player who ended his career with a bad tackle. Not something new and was he wrong to do so.
If Ferdinand had done what you suggest he would have been sent off, his team would have maybe only drawn that game and when he gave his reasons afterwards would have been accused of "playing the race card" as an excuse.
Where will it all end? With no more racist abuse on the pitch hopefully. If, and it is still if, Terry and Suarez are punished for what they are alleged to have said then that will go some way to helping stop others. Good thing in my book.
The problem is (and it is a non British thing) – It has generally been accepted that players can cheat in football matches to unsettle players – despite all the rubbish FIFA spouts about fair play. This means that you can spit, say what you like to get a reaction that might favour your team. Ok, they don’t sanction it but they don’t really see it as a problem. Us British have more of a sense of fair play and we find spitting at opponents or saying inappropriate things abhorrent. You only have to see how shocked our players were a few years back by the way they were treated in the Anglo- Italian Cup.
Of course lots of foreign players now play in this country and this has boosted the diving, win at any cost culture but these players are still warned that they have to tone certain things down when they come here. I think this is what Blatter meant though – it isn’t necessarily because a player is racist that he makes a racist comment in his eyes- he is merely seeking to gain an advantage. I think you have to have standards but again the organisation that promotes fair play have never sought to address the gamesmanship that is prevelant. By not addressing the issue over a number of years thay have effectively promoted racist comments and I would argue that if you make them, you are a racist as a line always has to be drawn. Blatter is basically saying there isn’t one on the football pitch but there is one afterwards!!!
There is a distinction between saying something racist in the heat of the moment and being a racist (though neither is acceptable.) In one sense it is similar to a player using weight or some kind of tabloid tale in an insult to another player, and in that case yes, a handshake or at least an acknowledgement that something was said that shouldn't have been but is regretted is perfectly acceptable. Of course racial abuse is a whole level above most of these things, race is a very highly charged issue, and if guilty Suarez and Terry or anyone else in that situation should get as severe a punishment as possible BUT once that is done, it is done. Only if someone repeatedly causes such incidents should they be called a racist (Suarez has history in this regard I seem to remember...)
No it isn't. If you're overweight it's your fault. I have personally never accidently fallen over and inserted my private parts in somebody elses Wife.
There are those who are not racists, those who think they are not but are and those that are and know they are. Blatter ticks the second option, he would genuinely believe, I suspect, that his comments were not condoning racism!
@ Vinnie V, I did say similar not identical, though I admit the comparison isn't perfect. The point is that even smart people can sometimes say really stupid things... and 'smart' and 'football player' are not often linked.
Comments
When you take out the waffle what he is saying is the players are having a battle on the pitch and when it’s over they can shake hands.
We are all the first to complain that football is getting to “PC”, hard tackling has all but been eradicated from the game, goalkeepers are protected more than ever etc.
I know I am older than a lot of you on here but players like Billy Bremner, Dave McKay, Norman Hunter even our own Derek Hales would not have been found complaining about what another player had called them, they would have sorted it on the pitch then shook hands and had a beer after.
I am not a racist nor am I condoning racist behaviour on the pitch but if football goes down a path where every time a player says something to another player a complaint gets filed and a police investigation takes places then I fear our beloved game is going down a path that could ruin it.
Firstly stopping hard tackling or challenges on keepers is nothing to do with so called "PC".
I know your not condoning racism but all the players you mentioned are white. It's not about saying no "sledging" but players can't "sort things out on the pitch" in the way those players you mentioned could ie with a knee high tackle or swift elbow. In their day they might have got a stern telling off from the ref. Now they would be sent off and banned for three games or more.
He might be TRYING to say that players having a battle on the pitch should shake hands afterwards and have a high energy glucose drink from our sponsors with each other but that's not what he said. One player racially abusing another is not, IMHO, banter nor is it something black or white players should have to put up with.
Black players of the era you mention did keep their mouths shut because often they would have got no support from their managers, clubs, the press or FA. Complain and it would be "he's got a chip on his shoulder/can't take a joke/let's give him more abuse because we know it winds him up".
Thankfully we've moved on and racism on and off the pitch isn't tolerated. Personally I think that is a great thing and something that I'm proud to say Charlton lead the way on 20 years ago with red, white and black day.
And players being a bit more careful what they say in case it gets them in trouble will not ruin football, it is and will make it much much better.
All fair points Henry and I do see where you are coming from but in my opinion all this running to the authorities whenever something like this happens is spoiling the game for me.
Players are suing other players for bad tackles, Tevez is suing Man City, now players are reporting other players for remarks made on the pitch, where will it stop.
Ferdinand would have been better off cutting Terry in two with a tackle to make his point and whispering something in his ear as they lay on the ground along the lines of "we are quits now you racist bastard" then walked off ready to serve his 3 match ban.
If Ferdinand had done what you suggest he would have been sent off, his team would have maybe only drawn that game and when he gave his reasons afterwards would have been accused of "playing the race card" as an excuse.
Where will it all end? With no more racist abuse on the pitch hopefully. If, and it is still if, Terry and Suarez are punished for what they are alleged to have said then that will go some way to helping stop others. Good thing in my book.
Twatter
The problem is (and it is a non British thing) – It has generally been accepted that players can cheat in football matches to unsettle players – despite all the rubbish FIFA spouts about fair play. This means that you can spit, say what you like to get a reaction that might favour your team. Ok, they don’t sanction it but they don’t really see it as a problem. Us British have more of a sense of fair play and we find spitting at opponents or saying inappropriate things abhorrent. You only have to see how shocked our players were a few years back by the way they were treated in the Anglo- Italian Cup.
Of course lots of foreign players now play in this country and this has boosted the diving, win at any cost culture but these players are still warned that they have to tone certain things down when they come here. I think this is what Blatter meant though – it isn’t necessarily because a player is racist that he makes a racist comment in his eyes - he is merely seeking to gain an advantage. I think you have to have standards but again the organisation that promotes fair play have never sought to address the gamesmanship that is prevelant. By not addressing the issue over a number of years thay have effectively promoted racist comments and I would argue that if you make them, you are a racist as a line always has to be drawn. Blatter is basically saying there isn’t one on the football pitch but there is one afterwards!!!
1980–1983Charlton Athletic
1983–1985Luton Town
1985–1987Aston Villa
1987–1989Pisa
1989–1991Celtic
1991–1994Chelsea
Errr.... Thanks
1975-1980 Blackheath Bluecoat
No it isn't. If you're overweight it's your fault. I have personally never accidently fallen over and inserted my private parts in somebody elses Wife.
The colour of your skin is beyond your control.
LOL
Succinct and to the point.