I was absolutely astonished and equally appalled at the comments made by the most powerful figure in football FIFA president Sepp Blatter on the subject of racism in the game, taking into consideration the recent serious racial accusations being made against Chelsea’s John Terry and Liverpool’s Luis Suarez.
The sensational comments were made by Blatter when he responded to a question asked by a CNN news presenter on the subject of racism in football by saying:
“I would deny it, There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one, but also the one who is affected by that, he should say that this is a game.”
He continued to say “We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen. On the field of play sometimes you say something that is not very correct, but then at the end of the game you have the next game where you can behave better.” He finished the interview by claiming that “During a match you may say something to somebody who is not exactly looking like you, But at the end… it’s forgotten.”
His comments have shaken the world of football all the way down to the foundations that the game is built upon. It’s also a huge slap in the face for the football associations who put so much work into the “kick racism out of football” campaign. Personally when I first heard about the comments I thought that Blatter had been misquoted, how wrong was I when to my utter disbelief I watched the actual interview.
The best thing clown Blatter can do now is accept that his spell in charge of the FIFA circus is over after his controversial comments. The public outcry and backlash is for him to hand in his resignation immediately but the worrying thing is that Blatter does not seem to think that he has spoken out of turn and that racial issues in football can simply be sorted by shaking hands at the end of the game?
So Mr Blatter, when I go into work tomorrow in your opinion it is quite alright for me to racially abuse any of my work colleagues as long as I offer them my hand at the end of my working shift?
Blatter is no stranger to controversy and in the past has made comments that would see the average man suspended from work pending an enquiry. In 2004, the FIFA president said women players should “wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts… to create a more female aesthetic.” His comments obviously won him no female support across the globe as he was labelled sexist.
When Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup recently he was asked about the illegality of homosexuality and responded saying “I would say they (gay fans) should refrain from any sexual activities.”
Blatter also sensationally claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was treated like a “slave” by Manchester United when the player wanted a move to Real Madrid, he said: “I think in football there’s too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere.”
Blatter stepping down from his powerful and lucrative position at FIFA seems the best option for him at the moment but don’t expect for a single second that this will become a reality. It will be a big climb down for Blatter and will also show that he is admitting that his comments were wrong, following the interview he has since said that he has been “misunderstood.”
Maybe Blatter has accepted defeat in his world fight against racism in football and his ideal scenario to deal with any racial allegations is to shake hands on the matter?
Kevin Ashford @KevinAshford7