Is it really? I know a lot about pure soccer, not a lot about racism in the sport or frankly even racism in other countries.
“Is it really? I know a lot about pure soccer, not a lot about racism in the sport or frankly even racism in other countries.”
Yes, it is. I also know a lot about ‘pure soccer’, and love it. That said, blacks playing in Europe, in the Premiere league, Serie A, and other Euopean leagues have been subject to tons of overt acts, including bottles being thrown at players on the field, bananas being thrown on the field, verbal abuse, etc.
Patrice Evra, who is one of the commentators referred to in this article, was himself the subject of racism as a player (as you probably know, he was a great left back). Some of what he experienced happened in Europe, and some even happened in his native Senegal:
“We played in Palermo and every time I touched the ball 20,000 people would make monkey noises,” Evra recalled. “I felt so alone and isolated.”
“I grew up amid a Senegalese culture at home,” Evra said. “But we became westernised very quickly and when I had to choose between playing for Senegal or France my father told me to follow my heart. I opted for France, as that was where I had grown up, but I then came in for lots of abuse in Senegal. I was called a monkey who grovels before the white man and labelled a money-obsessed traitor to the nation. But my parents helped me get through it.”
Here’s a link to an article about racism in Soccer, from 2020 (it’s an ABC link, so don’t click if you don’t want them to get the traffic).
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/racism-soccer-epidemic-mirrors-disturbing-trends-europe-advocates/story?id=67850877
Note: I post this as an American who is very tired of race being used as a political tool in the US. For the record, people like Sharpton and Kaepernick are part of the problem, not the social justice warriors they portray themselves as. In that context, I give Patrice a ton of credit for doing the right thing and taking the BLM pin off of his lapel.