If the Arsenal players walk off the pitch when one of them gets racially abused, I for one will support that action 100% and I am certain that I am in the majority supporting that.
I do not need to get on a soapbox and preach about racism, we all know it is repugnant and must be eradicated but the idea of players walking off the pitch can be controversial.
However, I think that us Arsenal fans are fairly united when it comes to this sort of crap. We back up our players, that is the Arsenal way. To me, there is no debate.
Just a few months back we had to endure the disgusting spectacle of a Spurs fan throwing a banana skin at the feet of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which resulted in a four-year football ban from the courts and a measly £500 fine but as Aubameyang said: “Four years and we start again.”
No wonder Aubameyang was dismayed and he is absolutely right, four years and we start again and if this carries on then the players will have no choice but to take matters into their own hands.
If the football authorities and the courts continue to hand down minor punishments then who can blame the players for feeling alone and unprotected. We take our kids to games, millions watch on TV, and for racism to be witnessed with no effective sanctions sends out the wrong message, only a zero tolerance policy will suffice.
Our players must know that we will support them no matter the consequences. When they put on that Arsenal shirt they must know it is a shield and that we have their backs.
I do not want to see football games disrupted but I would rather that then having to watch or listen to our players being assaulted, because that is what racism is, it is an assault. The message from me and JustArsenal is clear and unambiguous, if any of our players walk off we support them, no ifs, no buts.
Agreed?
Totally agreed ?
I fully agree.
I’m happy to say, we at the Emirates have a multi racial attitude and have never heard racism once there. I’m sure we as a club have had it in the past. I’m proud of arsenal fans attitude to racism. As a white ginger haired Scottish born man living in England, I’m kinda used to having the mickey taken, but racism is disgusting and should not be tolerated. Yes agreed to a walk off, I’d also leave the ground myself if the culprits are not removed. Bans for life!!
Sadly, you are wrong about racism never being heard in our (old) stadium. I have also heard the racist remark at Emirates in its early years. It was common all the time many decades ago, in the 1970s era but thankfully is, overtly at least, quite rare today. I am pleased that you are too young, clearly, to have been aware of this disgusting fact. But truth must out and we can never be complacent, even now.
Yep
Yes we must back our Players whatever action they taken that’s punishment look too childish Racist should attract 5 to 10 years Jail term. It’s should be treated as Criminals offense.
I would support the players.
I dislike trial by media and think that the courts should be allowed to do their job without the daily rags printing reports which may or may not be true.
I said at the time of this issue, I do not know if the person threw a banana for racist reasons or if it was a bad coincidence and he just threw what they had in their hands at the time. It isn’t up to me to guess and I would much prefer to read about how the courts have investigated the situation over the editors opinion.
It is a disgrace in our justice system that people do not have faith that people sent to jail will not learn to be better in the future, we should be able to say that people can learn to be better and that a 4 year ban is acceptable if the convicted individual feels remorse and learnt, the justice system in the UK is sickeningly pathetic.
thats a no brainer, of course we must all support any player that walks off the pitch after being subjectod to racial abuse. i dont care if they are arsenal players or opposition players.this rot must be kicked out of sport for once and for all. we are all humans ,regardless, of the colour of our skin as we all know.anybody who is found gulity of racially abusing another person should be locked up for a long time, it is disgusting.
I have a different point of view as to what should be regarded a racial abuse. For clarification sake I’m black and what will my first reaction when someone throws a banana skin towards me I repeat toward me and not at me I will just tell the idiot to pick it up as he is littering the floor and secondly I will feel sorry for the guy for been poorly educated and for his children born and unborn or having a father who can’t differentiate a man from monkey and for not knowing monkeys are of different colours. What I regard as racism is being deprived of my rights and privileges base on my colour. I don’t take offense in being called a black man as that is what I’m and what you see when you look at me and I’m proud to be.
most of what you said makes perfect sense to me, anyone with self-confidence thinks that way :)… so you should feel sorry for him mobella but you should also call them out. some people have no empathy maybe due to what happens on the news on a daily basis, not calling them out is also wrong as they would beleive what they are doing to be acceptable behavior, always speak up for what you belive in!!… like you said they haven’t been educated so sometimes you have to be the one to give them a refreshers course!!
ps: i’ve met someone recently who’s so racist he can only sleep with the lights on 😉
What you’ve said it quite right, but you’ve fallen into a trap that many people of colour do when talking about racism, with that being “I personally am not racially offended by this disgusting act, therefore it is not racist”.
Of course throwing a banana skin at a black person is a racist. It’s an absolutely vile act, motivated purely by trying to belittle, dehumanise and humiliate their target.
Of course , like all decent folk everywhere, I totally agree that teams must leave the field when racist chants occur. But I have one obvious thought, which is about how some fans will manipulate this action for their own teams gain, once this walk off action has been used. I do not put it past SOME people cheating by , while disguised as rival fans, abusing their own team to enable their own team to be awarded the game or points. It is an obvious danger, people being as cunning and unscrupulous as SOME are. It needs careful handling and proper thought by all, though OF COURSE I agree racism MUST be stamped out, WHATEVER IT TAKES! WALKING OFF THE PITCH is not as simple as some seem to think though. Discuss!
Hi Jon, agree with you completely and Mobella, what a great human being you come across as!!!
As far as rival fans go Jon, the premier league does have proper segregation of home and away fans, as is witnessed at the Emirates.
I believe the world we live in today, wouldn’t take long to identify those who are indulging in any kind of abuse.
This has been proved by the identifying of the moron who threw the banana skin at the Emirates.
The real power to deal with this lies with the footballing powers themselves, FIFA, Eufa and all the home countries.
Don’t just fine them, ban them for five years, relegate them and then see clubs and countries react.
The time to act is NOW!!
Fine words Ken and who can possibly disagree. But I still , sadly, believe some “fans” will find ways to do as I say in my post above this one. It should be straightforward but will not be so , IMO. Some people can be more manipulative and devious than most of us can even imagine. WE WHO ARE OLDER AND HAVE SEEN LIFE, SURELY KNOW THIS TO BE A FACT. I also found Mobellas post humbling and touching.
Jon you speak often on this topic and I always agree with your sentiments. I not only would support the players but would like to seem PL clubs do far more.
If the FA, FIFA, and governing bodies will not take major actions against racist fans, then club owners and boards must call them out. Mere slogans and banners will not suffice.
For example, no CL or Euro finals should held in stadiums or countries where this abuse from fans occurs. Holding clubs and fans accountable is just and proper. Therefore governing bodies should also be held accountable.
Replace governing individuals, banning clubs from CL or Euro participation, penalties should match the severity of these crimes.
Is it “zero tolerance” or will this brand of selective tolerance continue? Perhaps players should be allowed to take legal actions against the governing bodies themselves?
I do not pretend to have any solutions, rather I point out the immediate need for a solution to end this vile denigration based on an individual’s “differences” or ANY differences for that matter.
“As far as rival fans go Jon, the premier league does have proper segregation of home and away fans, as is witnessed at the Emirates.” But if an away fan turns up in an Arsenal shirt with a home ticket then how exactly are they supposed to tell that they’re not an Arsenal fan? Oh yeah, they probably wouldn’t be belittling and insulting our players every few seconds lol…