A Black Hole
‘FOOTBALL has had many black days, but not since the dark times of the 1970s has it had so many ones that begin with n.
| Aragones counts his black friends |
After Ron Atkinsons considered comment, in which he called the then Chelsea player Marcel Desailly a f***ing lazy n***er, the Sun now reports on the thoughts of Frank McLintock.
In passing comment on Arsenals game at Tottenham of the weekend past, the Gunners former captain said of Spurs: Its like Ten Little N***ers.
We are unsure what the pundit meant by this comment. Was it a reference to Agatha Christies tale of 10 people invited to an isolated place to be killing off one by one?
This would at least be a cultured reference to the reasonable impression that one by one the Spurs team went missing in action.
If so, Frank may like to know that in these more enlightened times, the story is also known as Ten Little Indians or by the less racially charged title And Then There Were None.
As such, he might consider himself to have been merely unlucky, less guilty of an express prejudice than the full frontal assault on modern society offered by dear old Ron.
McLintock might also think himself doubly unfortunate that anyone heard his mutterings at all, appearing as they did on Mondays edition of Youre On Sky Sports, a satellite TV phone-in show where people called Gary from Staines call it to say how marvellous Chelsea are.
But the Scot is not the only one being forced to explain himself.
On the eve of Englands international in Madrid, Spains manager, Luis Aragones, is being asked to expand on his recent comments.
His infamous line when he called Arsenals Thierry Henry a black s**t caused consternation back in here in harmonious Blighty.
And now he tells us its not him thats racist, its us. A case of the pot calling the kettle a nig-nog.
I remember the colonies, says Aragones, with what may be a glint of love in his bespectacled eye. I know who is racist!
And we are beginning to get a pretty good idea ourselves, but take care not to make the all too easy mistake of putting Aragones in the same group as other anachronistic nasties.
I have black friends, says he, who have told me the English were after them in the colonies. Ive fed black people at my table in my house.
For me, racism is matter of conscience, and my conscience is clear.
Interesting stuff, although for many people racism is less a matter of conscience and more a case of being insulted by middle-aged men who should have been made to know better.
As such, well now leave Aragones alone. After all, hes a work-shy, siesta-taking, bull-baiting, donkey-beating Spaniard, and, as is the way with such people, we can always have another go manana…’
Posted: 17th, November 2004 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
