Racism still alive and kicking?

It is safe to say that racism in football has eased over the last 30 years, but with recent examples in mind, are we taking a step back?

The phenomenon of racism in football first became a subject of widespread concern in the 1970s. Groups such as the National Front were regularly seen selling their newspapers and magazines outside football grounds, and with the emergence of black players, this led to racist chanting.

One of the more shocking incidents within British football was witnessed in 1988 when black player Mark Walters was booed from the outset on his debut for Glasgow Rangers. Worse still, bananas were thrown on to the pitch, simply because of the colour of his skin. But, those days of ‘overt’ racism have gone, right?

Wrong. On August 25, West Ham United faced rivals Millwall in the second round of the Carling Cup. During the match, monkey noises were directed at West Ham striker Carlton Cole and pitch invasions occurred.

Despite being racially abused by small pockets of the Millwall crowd, Cole remained calm.

So, has domestic football taken a step backwards or was this simply a one-off? What is clear is that those who are guilty of hooliganism and racism must be stopped from attending future football matches.

Since the 1991 Football Offences Act, the FA has adopted a zero-tolerance policy.

According to Home Office figures, racist chanting is in decline, as the number of arrests dropped by 50 per cent from 2000-01 to the 2006-07 season. There have been many successful initiatives set up by football clubs, none more so than Charlton Athletic Racial Equality (CARE). Additionally, anti-racist groups such as Let’s Kick Racism Out Of Football and Show Racism The Red Card have achieved relative success.

Nevertheless, despite all the promising steps forward, racism still threatens contemporary football, and it is clear that there is still some way to go before racism can truly be eradicated from ‘the beautiful game’.