My normal scribblings are usually about wine. This weekend though I heard something on TV that has made me question the beliefs and morals of modern day society.
I'm a very easy going person and can deal with a lot but this just didn't sit well with me
Since when has it been acceptable to abuse the victim of a crime in support of one of your own teams players?
I fully understand that no judgement has come down on the player in question in this matter. After all, we are a democracy and people are innocent until proven guilty. There is though visual evidence at hand that shows the player racially abusing a fellow pro on live TV, as well as statements taken from fans at the game. The point being is that the fans of this player, like everybody else, would have seen this by now.
I am of course talking about the ongoing case between Chelsea's, John Terry, and QPR defender, Anton Ferdinand.
The issue for me right now isn't what has happened between these two players, that's an ongoing case and we don't know the full facts. The issue is the response of the fans at the game in support of one of their own by booing Anton Ferdinand every time he touched the ball. It's an absolute disgrace.
For the last few years the FA, and other footballing bodies around the world, have been running the 'Kick Racism out of Football' campaign. Racism, or any form of bigotry, has no place in society. We are meant to be a developed nation. We like to think we hold the moral high ground. People, globally, look upon us to set examples. So what examples are we setting by abusing the victim of a crime? Because that is what it is. It's a crime! What messages are we sending out?
The abuse was committed by thousands of fans within a sporting arena, where, apparently, it is acceptable and normal to level all forms of unsanitary abuse towards officials and players alike.
All a bit of friendly banter? In some cases, yes, but in this instance, No! These actions do not give us license to reduce ourselves to a more primal stage of our evolution in the name of sport.
Would those people at the venue find it acceptable if someone would verbally abuse them over a personal matter? Probably not. These actions would not be tolerated by fans and players in rugby and, no doubt, in most professional sports played around the world either. So why football?
Respect is a word that gets banded around a lot. Referees wear the respect logo on their jerseys, to which point everyone seems to ignore. Respect via the fan base is something that not too many people adhere to either. If players and fans alike showed any form of respect then the actions from the Chelsea fans over the weekend would never of happened. Respect seems to be a word that only suits the moment.
If those fans had any sense of moral values then they should hang their heads. Their actions were tribal and primeval and showed a total lack of respect over the well being of another human being who has been chastised over the colour of his skin.
I'm all for supporting a player through a difficult situation but as a man and a sports fan I felt let down by these people today.
In short the colour of a man's skin should never be brought into question, period!
The noises coming out of Stamford Bridge show that as a society we are a long way from equality in this matter.
So when does fan loyalty stop and common sense kick in? I'll leave you to answer that.
If you would like more information regarding the Kick Racism Out of Football campaign then click on the link http://www.kickitout.org/