(TW racism)
Last week, I wrote
a pair of posts about FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the white man who said that racism during games was inevitable, and should be forgotten after handshakes.
Understandably, reaction around the world was fiercely negative, with a number of prominent figures in the game, and many, many fans, calling for Blatter's resignation.
Speaking at the opening of the executive committee meeting of the Asian Football Confederation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Mr. Blatter asserted that he now considers the racism row to be over, and that his feelings were terribly hurt that we all think him a racist. Why, he began his career in FIFA working in Africa, he adds, blithely failing to recognize how appalling it is to suggest that simply having worked in Africa means that racism is over.
I don't know how much more clear he can make it, that he has absolutely no business being in charge of a world organization, one with a serious and ongoing problem with racism. More news from this weekend, as Norwich City forward James Vaughan was the target of
racist abuse on Twitter, reported to police by his club, and
an accusation of racism against Dutch legend Johann Cruyff in his role with Ajax Amsterdam - that he told Black ex-player Edgar Davids that he was only on the board for his skin colour. These are only the incidents from the last weekend, and only those reported in the media.
Time to step down, Mr. Blatter. Step down, go home, and nurse your wounded feelings, and just keep telling yourself how not-racist you are. Just please do it somewhere else than as the leader of the so-called Beautiful Game.
To finish on a more upbeat note, there's a new film coming out about Arthur Wharton, the first Black professional footballer, signing for Rotherham Town in 1889:
The Rise of the North Star.
