Tuesday 27 November 2012

The Y Word

On Sunday the swagger returned to White Hart Lane. Spurs dispatched West Ham in the style of seasons past. Quick movement on and off the ball, controlled passing and decisive strikes in front of goal, the good old days could be well be on their way back for Tottenham and their manager Andre Villas-Boas.


Sadly though it wasn’t just this positive part of nostalgia and history which reappeared on Sunday. The vile, racist and abusive chants emanating from the West Ham fans were a sickening reminder of the bad old days, the seventies and eighties when the hooligan ruled the terraces.


The chants themselves have been well documented and don’t need repeating here but we are now facing the recrimination and aftermath. Questions like why did they happen and what can be done by the authorities to tackle them.


People like Peter Herbert from The Society of Black Lawyers and David Baddiel are very clear in their opinions of why. The use of the ‘Y word’ by Tottenham fans is wrong, leads to the legitimising of the word which in turn leads to it’s use by opposition fans. Their view is that it is a racist term and should not be used in any context by any person or group.


Let me get this out in the open straight away. If David Baddiel, a Jew himself says that the word is racist, I believe him. If he says that it’s use should be banned or eradicated I believe him. I also believe that the cause of the SOBL is a noble one. I even think that somewhere down the line the chant of ‘Yid Army’ will disappear from Tottenham fans’ repertoire.


I don’t however believe that the use of the Y word instigated and heightened the problem on Sunday. Anti-Semitic abuse existed long before Tottenham fans ‘reclaimed’ the word and used it as a badge of honour. Chants by their neighbours have regularly referenced their Jewish heritage, despite that fact that, as Baddiel argues, Spurs don’t have many more Jewish fans than other clubs.


This chanting has continued throughout the intervening years although not to the severity or viciousness of what was witnessed on Sunday. And at this point it is worth noting that it isn’t just West Ham fans who target Tottenham, other clubs supporters have too. And it is also worth noting that it is not all fans of a club we are talking about.


But it was the sheer scale of the chanting and the actual chants used on Sunday that was shocking. The attacks on Spurs fans in Rome just 4 days earlier, that look to have been more racially motivated rather than football related, are a definite catalyst but the sheer fact the anti-Semitic chanting is now in the news also plays a part.


Putting it in the media spotlight has merely reminded some of the idiots that go to football matches that it exists. Spurs fans chanting ‘Yid Army’ certainly didn’t do that, certainly didn’t warrant mention of Hitler or gassing noises. And even if Spurs dispense with the phrase, others will still refer to them as the ‘Jewish club’.


Mind you, the SOBL and David Baddiel might say that the ends justify the means. Having the debate in the public arena was their first goal. How the FA deal with the issue will be interesting and will define how their second goal is seen. They have in the past only sporadically penalised teams for offensive chanting by their fans. But perhaps now is the time for the footballing authorities to make a stand and tackle the issue head on.


As mentioned previously I believe the use of ‘Yid’ by Tottenham fans will probably disappear, but whether it’s replacement is any better remains to be seen. ‘Jew Army’ might be seen as equally provoking whereas ‘White Army’ opens up as whole different can of worms.


Whatever happens it does seem that we are at a crossroads. The issue is now out in the open. If it is dealt with effectively it could signify the first steps on the road to removing racism from football.


Otherwise the bad old days may be here once more.

Saturday 24 November 2012

Football’s Week – My View (week ending Friday 23rd November 2012)

Managers feature a lot this week, the football itself doesn’t so much. Which says a lot about our national game at the minute.

Chelsea & Roberto Di Matteo

I think even Dougal and Zebedee with all of their experiences of roundabouts would struggle with the speed of the revolving managerial door at Stamford Bridge. The sacking of Roberto Di Matteo was sadly not a huge surprise even if the timing was. With the appointment of Rafa Benitez Chelsea can now boast their 6th manager in a little over 5 seasons and with Roman Abramovich seemingly playing his own private game of Football Manager, who would be surprised with Rafa getting his marching orders sooner rather than later. To be fair RDM despite his Champions League and FA Cup successes was probably never right for the job but that does beg the question why was he backed in the summer with a new permanent contract? How much backing will Benitez get? He has a contract until the end of the season but does that mean a great deal with Abramovich pulling the strings? And just how much was the selection, or not in this case, of Fernando Torres a nail in RDM’s coffin? Time will tell but it’s a fairly safe bet this would be the last time you hear stories from Chelsea this season.

Chelsea & Mark Clattenburg

The FA this week told Mark Clattenburg that he was going to avoid charges for racial comments. In the same breath they charged John Obi-Mikel with “threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour”. This story just goes on and on. How much of an influence it had on Di Matteo’s sacking is uncertain but I’m guessing the Chelsea press officer has been a touch busy recently! If Mikel is found guilty of these charges it does make you question the validity of the original claim against Clattenburg. It could well have been as was originally reported, a simple misunderstanding over language but in my mind there’s a sinister and murky undertone to it all which leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Racism

Last time Lazio played Tottenham they were fined for their fans making racist noises towards Tottenham’s black players. The return match was also marred by ‘alleged’ racist chanting. What UEFA do to combat this, if anything, will be interesting as another fine seems pointless. However coming on the back of a lot of recent racist allegations and counter allegations we seem to be hurtling back in time towards the 70’s and 80’s. If we’re not careful we’ll miss the point entirely and fail to deal effectively with the issue at hand. People like the Society of Black Lawyers have a place in the battle against racism but at the moment they are just muddying the waters and appear to be lacking direction.

Hooliganism

Sadly racism isn’t the only throwback creeping back into the game, at least on mainland Europe anyway. The cowardly attack on Tottenham fans in Rome on Wednesday night was a reminder that it is not always safe to go and watch your team play. While latest reports suggest this was race related and not football related the fact that it has even happen is cause for concern. Thoughts go out to those involved and I hope for their speedy recovery. However the heavy handedness of the police is also a worry. Reports from Spurs fans in the Olympic Stadium say the local bobbies were very handy with batons on Thursday night. While UEFA cannot do anything about the attacks in the bar the night before, they do have authority and jurisdiction to deal with the police within the stadium. We awaiting their intervention with bated breath!

Man City in Europe. Or not as the case might be!

Man City failed to make it out of the group stages of the Champions League this week and that has to go down as a failure. Yes it was a tough group but with the calibre of players available to Roberto Mancini and the financial backing you would have at least expected their chances of progression to last until game 6. Depending on how their league campaign goes and who they sign in January, Mancini might be staring down the barrel of a gun come February.

Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes has already stared down the barrel of a gun and has seen it go off. Again this wasn’t a total surprise. With QPR sitting bottom of the league and still searching for their first win of the year after 14 games Hughes knew he was on borrowed time after last weekend’s home defeat to Southampton. He must have thought he escaped at least for one more week though and so again timing becomes the issue here. Why now? Don’t feel too sorry for Hughes though. He will appear elsewhere and still has the potential to do a good job. I would say a team in the championship might be his new destination but if/when the next premier league boss goes, expect his name to be in the mix.

Harry

If rumours/twitter/the media are to be believed Harry Redknapp will be installed as the new boss in time for Saturday’s trip to Old Trafford. And this might explain the timing. Long touted as Hughes’ successor Harry’s agent came out in the week to say he was interested in the Ukraine job. It seemed highly unlikely given Redknapp did not want to travel to Newcastle for a job, but now seems to have been a ploy to force QPR’s hand. And it seems to have worked. Redknapp’s time at White Hart Lane began in similar circumstances and proved to be the starting point for a good few years. If history repeats itself, Tony Fernandes’ move will appear to have been a bold and clever move. If not well there’s always Caterham F1. Oh....

Shirts, Shorts & Tradition

Football strips used to follow such simple rules once upon a time. Last week’s North London derby should have been one of those occasions. Arsenal red shirts, white shorts, red socks. Tottenham white shirts, navy shorts, white/navy socks. Sounds simple doesn’t it, the way it’s always been and certainly no need for an away shirt or alternative kit there. Yet Tottenham lined up their 3rd choice kit of silver and black halved shirts. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like that kit but the only clash was both teams home kit has white shorts. It wouldn’t have been a hardship for Tottenham to switch to their traditional navy shorts like they did at Manchester United. Sadly marketing and brand management is now having a bigger say on strips for a weekend than common sense.

I’ll also include England rugby team’s ludicrous decision to wear purple or maroon or whatever colour it’s supposed to be against Australia in this. A change kit for England is only necessary when they play Fiji and at an absolute push, Argentina. I can feel a rant coming on so I’ll leave it there.

Let’s see what next week brings!