Source: The FA
As I’ve previously stated in a piece I wrote about SuarezEvraTerryGate, I fully accept a white middle class MA student from rural Norfolk is not in the best position to give a commentary on racism: it’s very much akin to Rupert Murdoch giving his musings on the local Indie music scene. But as a football fan and a sort-of-journalism student, I have to give it a go.
As usual, after my 8 minute shower, this morning I checked my Twitter to see what had wound up the ‘football family’. To no great surprise, my timeline was filled with jokes about serially outraged Mirror sports journalist Ollie Holt. This was nothing new. Ollie had written an article about someone hating racism. He hates it too. However, after closer inspection I realised that Ollie, while an easy target, was probably not to blame this time. The usual ‘blame the media’ and ‘gutter press’ phrases were being banded about without much realisation of what had actually gone on.
An unknown England player had gone to the Sun about an apparent joke made by Roy Hodgson at Half Time during the Poland game towards England newbie Andros Townsend. The joke is reported to be as follows…
“NASA decided they’d finally send a man up in a capsule after sending only monkeys in the earlier missions.
They fire the man and the monkey into space.
The intercom crackles, ‘Monkey, fire the retros.’
A little later, ‘Monkey, check the solid fuel supply.’
Later still, “Monkey, check the life support systems for the man.’
The astronaut takes umbrage and radioes NASA, ‘When do I get to do something?’
NASA replies, ‘In 15 minutes – feed the monkey.’”
Not only do I not get the joke, I don’t see how it’s applicable to football or to Andros Townsend. Apparently Roy just wanted Chris Smalling to pass the ball to Townsend. The analogy (?) is rubbish. But that is by the by. Someone in the team took offence and went to the Sun.
The Sun is not Holt’s newspaper. It wasn’t even an article with opinion (although he was almost certainly asked to write it because of his previous connection to the topic). Even if it was his paper, an England player, rightly or wrongly (wrongly), took offence to a perceived racist comment made by the manager of the national side and, rightly or wrongly (wrongly), told the press. Of course that is going to be reported. As far as a story goes, it’s a biggy.
The player in question is unknown, and I think its fair to say it’ll probably stay that way. I don’t think the joke was meant in a racist way or is indeed racist (although I’m still not sure if its a joke or not). I’d like to think most people would agree. The story for me has to be the now lack of trust that must exist in the England squad. Firstly, if a player genuinely thinks his manager used racial slur it must surely make his position untenable? Secondly, if a manager sees a player use the press to express a problem within the squad, how can he possibly trust him? Not to mention the lack of trust between players. Rooney, for example, has already expressed his bafflement. Whoever took offence, however genuine, has been seriously ill-advised.
Townsend, whose dad incidentally works for Kick It Out – who have asked for an inquest (see the absurdity?), has already taken to twitter…
…whilst I disagree, I think his point is clear: space monkey isn’t racist is it?
Oh yeah, we’re going to a World Cup in Brazil by the way.
INTO ROW Z 