Racism as an issue is plaguing the entire world, and it has recently come to the forefront with protests erupting around the world.
There is also racism in football and Premier League teams have taken a stand on the matter, even going as far as wearing “Black Lives Matter” on their shirts when football returned.
Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira has become the latest individual to comment on the issue and the Nice manager claimed that there is time for talking about the issue of racism, but talk can only take us so far and he has asked for more action to be taken.
Writing for L’Equipe, he also added that keeping quiet means that you agree with those who perpetrate the injustice. He called for more blacks in positions of authority like management and in the boardroom.
Vieira said: ‘Now is the time for collective action and awareness of a problem that transcends origins, socio-professional categories or borders.
‘Discrimination is a reality that we must stop evading, a gangrene that we must eradicate from society, denounce with firmness but also with unity.’
Despite the action being taken, Vieira asks for more.
‘To tolerate intolerance is to be guilty,’ he said. ‘To accept non-punishment is to accept our helplessness. To be content to be a spectator of the unpunished crime is to assume our complicity. To be silent is to acquiesce.
‘Talking is a start, but talking is no longer enough. Action must take precedence over words and to act, we would have to increase our presence. If I take the example of football, we must aim for a normalisation of what time and statistics have limited to the exceptional.
‘Very few, too few black coaches. Ditto in management positions, ditto in governing bodies, ditto in terms of governance. The debates will also be productive because we will be invited to the table. As a reminder, Gareth Southgate, last week, described as this lack of representation as a “major crime” as well as the unequal opportunity for access to these positions.’
Vieira spent an enormous part of his career in England and he played almost 400 games for the Gunners.
Its like a carry on movie