Ramsey: racism in football has been ‘parked, not eliminated

The QPR manager, Chris Ramsey, believes events in Paris last week and north London on Sunday demonstrate that racism remains an acute problem in football, adding that there is a long way to go before it is eliminated.


The racist behaviour by Chelsea supporters on the Paris Metro last Tuesday has been met with widespread condemnation and a firm stance from the London club but a similar issue also came to light on Sunday when West Ham supporters are alleged to have sung antisemitic songs on a train on their way to the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

Again the club has vowed to take a zero tolerance policy on anyone found guilty but with both episodes taking place on public transport, rather than inside the ground, Ramsey, the only black manager currently employed in the Premier League, fears that racism is becoming harder to eradicate.

“Racism in football has been parked, not eliminated,” he told the Evening Standard. “People are clever at finding a way to hide racism.

“I haven’t heard as much racist chanting as when I first came into the game [in 1978]. The only thing we can actually do is increase awareness. But it is not just a football problem. It is a social problem.

“Football mirrors life but football has been slow to change. The rest of society has moved quicker. Prejudice against black people playing football has gone. But there are many other parts of football that need to come up to speed with the rest of the world.”


Source: Guardian