Gary Neville calls for ‘disruptive response’ to support players suffering racism

By Robert O'Connor, PA

Gary Neville said a “disruptive response” was called for across football with players continuing to suffer incidences of racist abuse.

The new season has been marred by a number of episodes of reported racism directed at players, most notably when Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo was allegedly abused by a Liverpool supporter during the first half at Anfield on the Premier League’s opening weekend.

On that occasion, the game was paused whilst the incident was reported to match officials but resumed shortly afterwards. A 47-year-old man was subsequently arrested by Merseyside Police and bailed.

In July, a friendly involving Neville’s Salford City away at York was abandoned in the 84th minute when manager Karl Robinson led his team off the pitch after one of the visiting players was allegedly racially abused by a home supporter.

“I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen when there’s an incidence of racism,” said the former England defender, who was speaking at an event to launch Kick It Out’s new ‘Football United’ five-year strategy in London on Thursday.

“There’ll be a statement from a club that says that we abhor racism, there’ll then be a paragraph that says it’s all in the hands of the police and the offender was removed. Then we won’t hear about it again for the next six months.

“I understand we talk about education and inclusion, but I also think we should start to think about consequence.

“Should the (offender’s) employer be contacted? Should there be further punishment for the club? Should the players continue to be on the pitch?

“We have to take the conversation beyond what is the norm because I just see exactly the same response every single time.

“How do we disrupt that normal response?”

Kick It Out has set itself goals including making all supporters feel welcome regardless of sex, ethnicity, sexuality or religion, boosting representation of South Asian players in the men’s game and of black, Asian and mixed heritage players in the women’s game.

 

It wants to drive greater representation too among match officials and in football coaching and leadership positions.

According to recent workforce diversity data (FA Rule N), many club workforces do not reflect local communities from a gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ or disability perspective.

Neville said he recognised the progress that had been made during the last 20 years as football has made its response to incidences of racism more robust.

The Sky Sports pundit was on the pitch in the Bernabeu in Madrid in 2004 when England team-mate Ashley Cole suffered abuse from Spain supporters during a friendly, with the former Arsenal and Chelsea defender later accusing Spain coach Luis Aragones of encouraging the abuse and calling for him to be sacked.

The Spanish football authorities were fined only £44,000 by FIFA over the incident, with the Commission for Racial Equality accusing the governing body of “effectively condoning” the abuse.

Neville said the response of Salford’s players in July showed how far the game has come and reiterated his belief in more direct action.

“I was proud of the players and supported the manager’s decision,” he said. “When I witnessed racism on a football field, when my team-mates were racially abused, I wish I’d had the guts and the courage – forget walking off the pitch but to say something even.

“I walked off the pitch (in the Bernabeu), sat down next to Ashley in the changing room and never even asked him how he was.

“It was brushed under the carpet, it wouldn’t make the headlines. Me and others like me never acted at all.”

Of the Bournemouth players’ decision not to leave the pitch, he said: “I was surprised. I thought maybe they could have walked off the pitch.

“First game of the season, all the eyes of the world on them. I think walking off for five minutes, disrupting the broadcast, disrupting the normal procedures and protocol is what is needed here.”